


Amortentia

by goldensnitch18



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Angst, Drama, F/M, Harry Potter Next Generation, Next Generation, Next-Gen, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-18
Updated: 2016-11-21
Packaged: 2018-07-15 20:06:48
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 22
Words: 126,764
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7236619
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/goldensnitch18/pseuds/goldensnitch18
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In their sixth year, rivals Rose and Scorpius have a moment of terrifying clarity when they both inhale the sweet smell of Amortentia. One year later, Rose is finally single and Scorpius is determined to snog the crazy out of her.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> I hope that you enjoy this story. I would love to hear your thoughts. Also, you can find me on tumblr at goldensnitch-18 if you are interested. 
> 
> Beta Magic: Many thanks to harpersbizarre and dragonjess for their time and work on this story. All my love to the comma Queen of my life, oblivionbaby. She is truly fantastic and is working her magic on this story now that it is finished. 
> 
> Thank you for reading ! 
> 
> XOXO
> 
> Meg

Prologue

On September first of her first year at Hogwarts, Rose's cousin and best friend, Albus, ruined her life. He sat there on that stool while Deputy Headmaster Neville Longbottom stood beside him and placed the hat on his stupid little head, and he told that bloody hat to put him in Slytherin. When asked later about this ridiculous decision, Albus said that his father had inspired him to go against the grain and support inter-house unity or some bloody crap. Rose didn't give a Squib's arse what his lofty goals had been.

 

In fact, Rose really wouldn't have cared at all that Albus had wanted to be in Slytherin if he had not freaking decided to befriend one Scorpius Malfoy. It was that decision that had plagued her for the past six years. Rose had tried to be nice. In the beginning, she had laughed off her father's history with Scorpius's dad and insisted that it was old prejudice. She had started to get to know him, and she was pleasantly surprised that he seemed normal and not at all what her father had described the Malfoys to be like. That was before, without warning or reason, he had totally annihilated her in Potions and then decided to tease her about it. She had tried to remain calm and to see him as more than this one thing, but his insistence on being incredibly talented, intelligent, and competitive made it impossible for her, someone used to so easily being the best at everything, to be his friend. After all, she wasn't in Ravenclaw for nothing.

 

By the time the Christmas holiday had come around, Rose had gone home complaining about Scorpius to her father who seemed reassured that all of his assumptions had been correct. Draco Malfoy had spawned an arrogant, manipulative, awful little boy just like himself. Albus tried to be a bridge, to point out that they were both smart and you win some and you lose some, that Scorpius was a good friend and nothing like Uncle Ron or Rose thought, but she didn't want to hear it. She was Rose bloody Weasley and she was going to dominate Hogwarts. She was Hermione Granger come again, but this time, she had been placed in the sacred house of wisdom and intelligence, and there was no way she was going to let some slithering snake take that from her. Ever.

 

So, Rose had dominated Hogwarts for six solid years. She was taking seven N.E.W.T.s level courses and completely sweeping the pitch with them. Unfortunately, Scorpius Malfoy just happened to be next to her, neck in neck, dominating as well and driving her freaking crazy by taking the exact same course load as her. Thus, it was with little to no surprise that Albus' best friend, and her dreadful nemesis, had been named Head Boy opposite her as Head Girl. It wasn't enough that she had spent the last two years as prefect with him, having to do occasional rounds together, attend meetings together, and always being paired up because they had equal marks, but now they would be required to spend even more time together. She was sure they would make a swell team - one to remember - if she didn't murder him first. And so it was that Rose Minerva Weasley began her seventh year with an entirely calm and collected exterior covering a gooey mass of seething loathing for one Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy.

 

There was only one, tiny, little problem with this plan, and that problem started with Professor Horace Slughorn, Potions Master, almost exactly one year before Rose was preparing to begin her seventh year. Rose, Scorpius, Albus, and Alice Longbottom, Rose's best friend and fellow Ravenclaw, had all tested into N.E.W.T level Potions. Professor Slughorn, being a man of dramatics and routine, started his sixth year N.E.W.T class the same way he had always started his sixth year N.E.W.T class. He brewed three of the most impressive potions he knew, one of which being the most powerful love potion in existence, Amortentia.

 

Despite her feelings about Scorpius, Rose had remained a loyal and close friend to her dear cousin, Albus stupid-traitor-for-asking-to-be-in-Slytherin Potter. She enjoyed sitting near him in Potions because it was the one class they actually had some time to talk when they were working on their labs. Because of this, she and Alice would share a table with Albus and Scorpius. It was an unwritten rule that Rose and Scorpius must never be forced to sit next to each other or to actually work together in Potions. Slughorn had once made the mistake of trying to pair Rose and Scorpius together after they had really gotten going on not being able to stand each other. That had ended, well, it was unfortunate, and the error had not been repeated. If Slughorn did get tired of their normal pairings, Rose with Alice and Albus with Scorpius, Rose would work with Al for the day, and Alice was fully capable of working with Scorpius, who she was fond of telling Rose was drop-freaking-dead gorgeous, no matter how many times Rose rolled her eyes. This was an innocent sort of attraction, though, because Rose happened to know that Alice had a mad little crush on one James Sirius Potter, playboy of Hogwarts. She had discovered Alice crying about him snogging another girl during the fall of their fifth year, and Alice had admitted that she had liked him for a while. 

 

On that first day of their sixth year, the four of them were huddled around the entrance to the Potions dungeon waiting for Slughorn with the rest of the N.E.W.T class. Rose was standing to one side with Alice, holding her copy of Advanced Potion Making. Scorpius was listening to Al prattle on about the Holyhead Harpies, the team which Al had always been and would always be an avid fan of because he was in his heart of hearts a big mummy's boy. Scorpius, on the other hand, was a Wimbourne Wasps fan, and that was one thing Rose could not fault him on because this happened to be her team as well. When Slughorn finally did open the door, the class had piled in to find that their tables had potions already bubbling on them. Their usual table was hosting a golden potion with a mother of pearl sheen and a spiral stream of steam climbing towards the ceiling. The four of them sat down around it, and it seemed to overcome them.

 

Rose knew the gold potion was Amortentia, and she tried not to breathe in through her nose, but it didn't matter. She couldn't resist the urge to draw in the sweet scent as it calmed her, dulling her senses and making her feel … good. The smells that washed over her were of the earthy scent of the Hogwarts Quidditch pitch, sandalwood, and cinnamon. Rose Weasley hated sandalwood and cinnamon. In that moment, she tried to maintain her faculties and resist looking over at the only boy she knew that had always smelled of that peculiar and delicious combination, but her eyes did not listen. They seemed to have been taken over by the sweet fog enveloping her. She only let her eyes meet his for a single moment, but it was enough. In that moment, she saw his desire staring back at her, his silver eyes seemed darker and his mouth serious. She had never seen him look at her that way.

 

Scorpius had also breathed in the potion quite unavoidably and had been overwhelmed with the clean smell of the air after rain, the earthy scent of the Quidditch pitch, and that damn lavender shampoo Rose Weasley used. He had looked at her then, directly, for one single moment. Her eyes were soft as they looked straight back at him. She blushed, a smile spreading across her lips, and then, in the next instant, she was looking somewhere else, the guilty look that had washed across her features only understood by him. That was when he knew that she wanted him just as badly as he wanted her.

 

After that moment, Rose hadn't been able to look at Scorpius Malfoy without thinking about that stupid potion and what it had meant. She had given up on denying, at least to herself, that in some messed up twist of life, she found herself attracted to that ridiculous little shit. She knew it didn't mean that she loved him for Merlin's sake, but it certainly did mean that she thought about what it would be like to snog the smirk off of his face one of these days. It definitely didn't mean that she didn't wake up breathing hard and rubbing into her bed because of a particularly hot dream about him shagging her in the prefects bathroom, or a broom closet, or the field past her Gran Weasley's garden.

 

The problem on top of the problem, or really it wasn't a problem because it was the only thing that probably kept them from being incredibly stupid at the time, was that Rose Weasley was dating Rowan Wood, the son of Hogwarts Flying Instructor, Oliver Wood. Scorpius Malfoy hated Rowan Wood, that goody-two-shoes Gryffindor Head Boy, and it may or may not have had something to do with walking in on Rose and Rowan nearly shagging in the changing rooms down by the pitch not long after the whole smelling Rose's hair in the potion problem first started. In fact, it was about two hours later. Scorpius had needed to fly, to do something that made sense; to do something that would get the thought of what it would be like to pull on that red, lavender scented hair while she moaned for him out of his mind. Scorpius had walked straight into the changing rooms to find Rose pressed against the wall, and he no longer need to wonder what her moans would sound like anymore. He had backed away quickly, and neither party had even noticed him come in.

 

That relationship had lasted the entirety of their fifth and sixth years. In fact, Albus had told Scorpius just one month into their Summer Holiday that Rose and Rowan had called it quits, and he didn't know why. Scorpius had been conflicted on how to take this information. On one hand, he knew that he and Rose had never really got on since that first Potion Slughorn had assigned them as first years. He knew that Rose hated him, and she would certainly never date him instead of Rowan, but he hadn't forgotten the way she looked at him. He hadn't forgotten how strongly that lavender scent had filled his body, pulling him to look right back at her. Scorpius had casually snogged and gone to Hogsmeade with a few girls over the past two years, but the start of the seventh year found him conveniently unattached. He had wanted her long before that day, but that had been the first time he had admitted that if the opportunity arose, and Rowan was out of the picture, he would love to snog the crazy right out of Rose Weasley, and that was finally seeming like a delicious and distinct possibility.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading. I would love to hear what you think of this chapter! 
> 
>  
> 
> XOXO  
> Meg


	2. Chapter One

Chapter One

 

Rose Weasley's first encounter with Scorpius Malfoy during her seventh year occurred on the Hogwarts Express. She had kissed her parents goodbye amidst their final congratulations and declarations of pride. Hugo rolled his eyes the entire time his mother chided him, wondering aloud again why he hadn't been made a prefect. Alice Longbottom stood beside Rose, waiting to board the train with her. Alice's father, Neville, was now the Headmaster at Hogwarts, and her mother, Hannah, had run the Leaky Cauldron for several long years while she was training to become a Healer. She had started working under Madam Pomfrey around the time that Rose had started at Hogwarts and had replaced her a few years after that, but the couple had spent a lot of time apart before that. Alice's parents were always kind of amazing to Rose. Neville had usually stayed at Hogwarts, while Hannah had stayed at the Leaky Cauldron, and their homes in Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley were often left empty. Despite their schedules, they had somehow made it work until they could be together at Hogwarts, and they seemed to still be madly in love with each other. In light of recent events with Rowan, Rose admired them more than she would have otherwise.

 

When Hermione and Ron Weasley finally let go of their two children, Rose and Alice climbed onto the train and found an empty compartment. This wasn't too difficult as Rose had needed to report early. Alice was a prefect now that Rose had been made Head Girl, but she had a short while before the meeting, so Rose dumped her things in the compartment and left her friend behind. Rose had to head up to meet with Scorpius and the Headmaster in the front of the train before the prefects meeting. As she walked, the young witch forced herself to breathe evenly and unclench her fists. It was early, but she still found herself stopping often to hug friends and cousins as she made her way to the meeting.

 

You are of age now. You are a strong, intelligent, promising young witch, and Scorpius Malfoy is an insufferable little git not worth the Hippogriff's dung on the bottom of your trainer. Don't let him ruin your year. She tried to talk herself up, an attempt to make that calm and collected demeanor a reality on the inside, but it wasn't working. From the moment Al had let it slip to her that Scorpius was Head Boy, Rose had spent the last several weeks working herself into a frenzy about this day. They had been in her room, both of them cleaning and servicing their brooms after a family match. He had told her about being made Quidditch Captain, and she hadn't been able to hold it in any longer; Al was, after all, her first best friend, even if he was friends with that prat Malfoy. As soon as she told him that she had been made Head Girl, he had sighed and shook his head. She had known then. She didn't even need the words, but she forced him to speak them. "Scor got his badge two days ago." That was all it took. She dropped her broom and the clippers she had been going over each twig with and buried her head in her hands.

 

She would never admit to anyone that she had cried, but Al knew, and she trusted him not to tell anyone, even Scorpius. Rose wasn't in the habit of showing her weaknesses, and certainly not to anyone who might open their big stupid mouth and tell Scorpius Malfoy that she had cried, or that he had been the one that had caused her to bawl her eyes out over her broom like an idiot. She had known it was coming. He was always there, matching her stride for stride as she pushed through her classes. He even played Quidditch against her, matching her skills in that area as well. They were both Keepers for their teams, and it was good, because if they were Chasers or Beaters or even Seekers, they probably would have killed each other on the pitch by now. The only thing that kept them safe was that he had to stay at his end of the pitch, and she had to stay at hers.

 

Albus surely thought that was her problem, but it wasn’t the case. She was crying because she knew that if Scorpius was Head Boy they were going to be alone a lot. They would spend nearly every night walking around the castle alone. Rose had done more than her fair share of staring and fantasizing last year after that first day of potions. That shared moment over a cauldron of Amortentia had infected her, and she had no idea what this year was going to bring. Rowan had been a buffer between her and that cold look of desire she couldn't get out of her head. Being with him last year had blocked her from doing anything stupid, like trying to snog a boy she couldn't stand to talk to for more than a few minutes. Every time she had woken up from another dream or let her mind wander places it shouldn't have been going, she had turned to Rowan and his own particular set of skills. Now, without him, she didn't even want to imagine what that looked like.

 

The walk to the end of the train seemed to go on and on, but she finally arrived at the front and found the prefects compartment. There were a few prefects in there that she greeted, but most were still with their friends finding seats or saying goodbye to their family. As she opened the door to the head compartment, she saw Scorpius was already sitting there, waiting for her with a book open on his lap. His blond hair fell in soft locks in front of his eyes and past his ears. His grey eyes moved, taking in each word of the Herbology book he was reading. His shirt was unbuttoned at the top, sloppily tucked into his jeans. His trainers were on the floor, and his socked feet were resting on the seat across from him. He looked un-be-fucking-lievably good, and Rose was suddenly reminded of the reason she hated him more than anything these days. Scorpius made her heart race and her palms sweat, and she couldn't stop thinking about him in ways that she really shouldn't think about someone she hated.

 

"Rose," he said, acknowledging her entrance as she shut the door, not looking up from his book.

 

"Scorpius." Rose sat across from him, next to his crossed feet. He closed the book and rested it on his lap before he crossed his arms.

 

"How was your summer?"

 

"Fine. I didn't see you at all, so that was quite nice." She stared out the window and tried to ignore the smell of him floating towards her. He smelled of sodding sandalwood and cinnamon. For as long as she could remember, he had smelled of that mixture. It made her stomach twist as it reached her. She struggled not to breathe in any harder than normal to draw in his scent. She fucking hated sandalwood and cinnamon, but after a single minute, she couldn't resist the need her body had to breathe in through her nose. She felt an urge to sigh and sink into the chair, but she was able to control herself enough to not do something so ridiculous.

 

"Yes, well, my mother has lost her mind that I will be moving out of her house at the end of the year and made it difficult to come visit you, love. I'm sorry for any pain that may have caused you." He cast concerned eyes at her and moved one of his legs. His socked foot rubbed against her thigh. It was a soft pressure that would have been reassuring and intimate if it had come from anyone else. As it was, it sent a ripple of energy through her body. How in the world was she going to make it through an entire year of this? She couldn't get through five minutes without him affecting her.

 

"Get your sodding foot off of me." She crossed her arms then, mimicking his movements from moments before. He chuckled and returned to his previous position.

 

"Come on, Weasley. You know you missed me a little bit. Maybe just trying to hex my bollocks off, but you still missed me." She rolled her eyes, and he laughed again. "Don't be such a strop, Red." Her face flared pink at his use of the nickname, and she actually looked at him instead of out the window.

 

"I told you to stop calling me that!" She knew she shouldn't snap at him. She knew that it only egged him on, making him worse, making him work harder to pull her over the edge. He lived to make her lose her mind at him. He liked to see her at her wits end. He would rile her up and laugh as he walked away, but there was nowhere for him to go today.

 

"And, I told you I can't because I love what it does to you, Red. It makes me crazy." He slid his feet down from her bench.

 

"You're such a fucking wanker," she spat at him.

 

"Only when I'm thinking about you." He leaned towards her, just barely sitting on his side of the compartment anymore.

 

"Now who's been missing who again?" she chided, moving back as far as she could, trying to keep the space between them.

 

"Oh, Red." As if his newly breathy voice wasn't enough, he leaned further towards her. One hand fell on the seat behind her at each side of her thigh, locking her in beneath his arms. His face moved forward until it was inches from hers. "I certainly did fucking miss you." His eyes were locked on hers, silver flecks sparkled in his gray eyes, and that damned mixture filled her nose without her even trying to breathe it in. She felt her hand twitch as if it was going to reach for him, but she stopped herself. She hated his stupid scent, and his gross jokes, and the fact that he was harassing her. He most certainly didn't miss her, unless it was the rise he could get from her. "Especially after I heard about Rowan. I was positively beside myself for you."

 

"Oh, yes, I can tell it tore you up. Sit back down," she told him, her voice hard and cold.

 

"I don't want to. I don't want to lose my chance before some other lad comes along and steals you from me again." She could feel his breath on her lips, and her heart racing beneath her chest. She could kiss him now. It would take a single second. He wouldn't even realize she had moved before her lips were on his. Rose felt her body heat at the thought. She had thought about this moment, a moment where he would drive her over the edge, and she would lose her head and snog him senseless, but that wasn't real life. In real life, he was a fucking prat, and he would only use something like that against her. In real life, she had to be able to look at herself in the mirror the next day and not hate what she saw for giving into whatever insanity had made her attracted to him.

 

"Scorpius," she spoke calmly, her voice dipping low, her hands moving up to rest on his chest. "If you don't sit back down, I'm going to grab my wand and make very sure that you won't have any reason to get this close to any witch this year. I will not try to hex your bollocks off, I will succeed." Scorpius laughed again and shook his head as he sat back down.

 

"There's my Rose." He pulled his book back onto his lap and resumed his reading as Rose ignored the flutter in her stomach at the term my Rose. She really needed to get the hell out of this compartment.

 

As if reading her mind, the door opened, and Alice's father stood there, smiling at the pair of them. "Rose! Scorpius! Congratulations!"

 

"Thank you, Professor Longbottom," they said together, and Rose resisted the urge to send a glare at Scorpius. For no reason at all, it bothered her that Scorpius was liked just as much as she was by their teachers. They all loved him, every single one of them, even McGonagall had loved him before she retired at the end of their first year.

 

"So," Neville sat next to Scorpius, shuffling papers, "you will need to start the prefects meeting in a few minutes. You've been through the drill, so you know what to cover, but here is a list of key topics and the passwords." Neville handed them each a sheet with the prefects information and a sheet of passwords. As Rose read through the passwords they shimmered. She guessed that they were charmed to only be revealed to her and Scorpius. She set the parchment down and looked back up at the Headmaster.

 

"As for the two of you, you now have the ability to take and give points to members of all houses, including prefects. The Deputy Headmistress and I know that we can trust you two with this responsibility. Also, you will need to make a schedule for rounds for the prefects together. You will be responsible for getting this schedule to Professor Vector, as well as enforcing it and ensuring that it stays effective." He paused, and they nodded again.

 

"You should be doing Heads rounds every night. You should be checking to make sure that nothing is amiss and that the schedule is being followed, etc. This is in addition to your regular rounds which should be scheduled on the weekends. This is when we have the most issues with students out of bed, thus we need the Head Boy and Girl to be out as they have the authority to correct the problem. If you feel that you ever have any issues that need further correction, bring students to me or to Professor Vector, and we will deal with the matter from there. You will find a list of offenses and appropriate punishments in your rooms tonight. We will expect you to memorize them and be able to deal out appropriate consequences. Questions?" They both shook their heads, and he continued.

 

"You will be asked to do odds and ends by Professor Vector and I as things come up, but mostly as long as you help your fellow students when they need it and follow the rounds schedule things should be pretty easy going. You should have a prefects meeting about once a month to determine if there are any issues that need to be addressed, and you can increase that if you feel it's necessary."

 

"Well, we do know that Rose loves a good meeting," Scorpius said with a grin. Neville chuckled, and Rose tried, rather unsuccessfully, not to glare at Scorpius.

 

"Yes, well, if you feel the need to have extra meetings, Rose, I certainly won't stop you. You both now have access to the Heads Library from your dormitory. The password is on your paper. This room is for the two of you to study or meet to discuss business. It should not be a hangout for your friends. Understood?"

 

"Yes," they both answered quickly, staring at him, wondering how in the world he had just spouted all that, and then Rose supposed he'd done it for the past several years, but still.

 

"Good. I believe that leaves us with just one last thing." Neville rubbed his chin where the scruff of a beard was growing and looked at Rose and then at Scorpius. "I know that you two have had … trouble … getting along in the past. For the most part, I believe that you are able to maintain control of yourselves and respect the school and the other students in it enough that it isn't an issue. I know that putting the two of you together may not be the easiest of pairings, but you have both worked incredibly hard to get here. You both deserve this. If you are tempted to lose your heads and let petty issues, such as who scored higher on an Herbology essay, affect your position, I would do well to remind you that all of that work will be for nothing if I am forced to take your badges away." They both stared at him. Rose's jaw dropped, and Scorpius looked quite offended.

 

The Herbology exam in question had kept Rose locked up in the Library an entire weekend while Scorpius had gone to Hogsmeade. Scorpius had scored higher than Rose, and she may have been infuriated that she had lost her Hogsmeade time, and he had still done better than her. She could possibly have suggested that he cheated, and he may have insinuated that she was an insufferable hag who couldn't handle having anyone know anything just a tiny bit better than her, and then she could have cursed him, and he might have cursed her back, and it could have become a big thing which ended with them both in the Hospital Wing … and then a week of detentions. But really, when she thought about it, that probably wasn't that big of a deal, and the Headmaster was surely overreacting. It not like they were always like that. Usually, they just called each other rude names and yelled a bit.

 

"Are you … threatening us?" Rose asked softly, in the kindest voice of surprise she could muster.

 

"No, Rose. I am not threatening you. Professor Vector and I have both witnessed first hand what the two of you are capable of when you forget yourselves. I am simply reminding you that the position you have been awarded calls for a higher bar than you have previously been held to. It is not a threat, but a fact that we will not hesitate to remove that honor if you, or Mr. Malfoy, are incapable of acting in an appropriate way."

 

"Yes, Headmaster," Scorpius said quietly, and Rose stared at him. He was looking back at her expectantly, and she realized that he and the Headmaster were waiting for her to speak.

 

"Yes. I understand," she told Neville, looking back in his direction.

 

Neville smiled at her words. "On a more personal note, I am very proud of you both. I know Alice was delighted for you, and I share her excitement. I know that we can all be a great team this year. Make sure you take the time to enjoy it, and let me know if you need anything." He shook Scorpius' hand and hugged Rose, and they thanked him again before he left them alone.

 

"Rounds every night?!" Scorpius asked once he had gone, and she shook her head.

 

"Even if we just do a light version of the rounds it will take half an hour, at least, probably an hour."

 

"Every night?!" he said again. "And every Friday and Saturday we have rounds." He groaned as he fell back into the seat. "This is what we worked our arses off for seven years for, Rose? Rounds every bloody night."

 

"And a special library," she added, grinning at his displeasure.

 

"It better be the most special library ever." He rolled his eyes.

 

"Scorpius," she said his name quietly, and he suddenly looked at her in a different way. She couldn't tell what he was thinking, or what he was feeling, and she wasn't sure she wanted to. "I can't lose this," she told him, staring at the floor.

 

"We won't," he said back, his voice almost kind. He grabbed his shoes off the floor, and when he stood she was overwhelmed with that incredible, stupid smell that was so him. She was going to die if she had to smell sandalwood and cinnamon every freaking day. 

 

"We should go," he said as the 11 o'clock whistle blew, and he led the way out of the compartment, leaving her behind to wonder at the fact that they had just had an almost intimate moment, and he had been kind about it.

 

XXX

 

Scorpius watched Rose talk to the compartment full of prefects as her red curls bounced with each move of her head. All he had been able to think about in that damn Heads compartment had been grabbing those tight red curls and using them to hold her still while he snogged her all the way to Hogsmeade. He was definitely of the opinion that what Rose Weasley needed was a proper snogging from a bloke who knew how to push all of her buttons; a bloke such as himself. He would be all too happy to oblige. Rose was crazy. There was no denying that. From what he knew of her parents, Scorpius was fairly certainly she had inherited that temper from her father and her brains from her mother. Despite the way she lost her head around him, Scorpius couldn't ignore the way her bum looked in her Muggle jeans as she spoke about patrolling the train or the breasts that she tried so hard to hide. Her jumper sort of flowed over them, melting them in with the rest of her body, but Scorpius had seen her in a swimming costume several times, and he knew what she was hiding. Now that Rowan was out of the way, Scorpius didn't see a reason that he shouldn't try to get her to let him under that jumper and feel for himself what she was hiding. It wasn't that he needed to snog Rose or even that he really desired to be with her, but every time she opened her mouth to snark at him, he couldn't stop thinking about biting those perfect lips of hers to shut her up. 

 

He hadn't always been so keen on snogging the crazy out of Rose, but that had all changed last year. Slughorn had put those stupid potions out, and seriously how was that a good idea? Let's put out a big steaming batch of love potion. Not only could some idiot sixteen-year-old steal some, but it just happens to alert dumb, oblivious teenagers, such as Scorpius, of attractions that they had kept buried deep, deep down in a place better kept undisturbed. If Slughorn had just been a normal teacher for once, Scorpius wouldn't have spent the last year having wet dreams about that stupid blush or those moans he had heard coming from her as Rowan's hand disappeared below her knickers. Fuck, he hated thinking about that. Rowan bloody Wood had touched her under her knickers, and probably done more, things Scorpius had only imagined in his dreams, and Scorpius hated it. It wasn't that he was jealous exactly, but if Rowan was doing it then he couldn't be. End of story.

 

He had tried to get the topic in the compartment around to Rowan in hopes that she would tell him what happened, but they hadn't really been high hopes. Rose wasn't exactly keen on sharing the details of her personal life with him, as proven by the fact that she gave him nothing except a promise to hex his balls off. He could work with that, though. It would be fine. Now that the Headmaster had made it clear that their normal ways of working out their frustrations, such as screaming at each other, causing potions to explode all over dungeons, or plotting devious pranks, wasn't going to be tolerated this year, it seemed that they would have to find another way.

 

Scorpius knew exactly which way he was going to vote for. They would have plenty of time this year to get out their frustrations with each other if he had anything to say about it, and it would happen in his bed, in a broom closet, in the changing rooms, in the astronomy tower … Really he couldn't think of a place he wouldn't be willing to press Rose up against and teach her a way or two that their mouths could be put to much better use. The best part was that he was sure she yearned for the same thing from him. The way she looked at him was enough to tell him that. She was thinking about it to. He could tell when she breathed that she could smell something that was distinctly him, something that reminded her of that potion, and made her need him. 

 

It had been just his luck that the headmaster himself had given him the perfect way to propel Rose into his arms. They had been tasked with making the prefects schedule and given a quiet place to work. Scorpius was sure that Rose would force him to work on it as soon as possible. He was also sure he could find something to do during such a task to anger Rose. It had become a fairly easy job for him, one he barely had to try at anymore, because almost everything he did angered the witch. Once he achieved it, she would come screaming and pitching a fit right into his trap, and he prayed that she would want to be there. 

 

"Malfoy." He looked up, and Rose was staring at him along with the rest of the compartment. Albus was laughing at him, not even bothering to hide it. "Did you have anything to add?"

 

"No, I'm good. You were very thorough," he smirked. Except that your arse looks fucking perfect in those jeans, and I would really like to see it out of them. She looked at him oddly and shook her head, clearly annoyed that he had been caught not hanging on her every word.

 

"Okay, everyone. Thank you for coming, and be sure to do your patrols on the train. The Head Boy and I will get you a schedule for rounds in the next day or two."

 

"Hey," Albus rose from his seat and moved over to sit by Scorpius as the other prefects filed out, "how's it going?"

 

"Good, Rose and I got in a few moments of alone time, didn't we, Red?"

 

Rose opened her mouth to respond, but her friend beat her to it. "She told you to stop calling her that," Alice told him, rolling her eyes. "You can't complain if she snaps at you when you intentionally drive her insane.”

 

"Oh, but she can't." Scorpius grinned. "Can you, love?” he asked, the final word dripping with sarcasm. 

 

"I'm fairly certain Headmaster Longbottom won't approve of you taunting me, Malfoy. I'm pretty sure that falls into the category of not living up to the bar set for you."

 

"What?" Albus and Alice said together, both looking at their friends like they were crazy. Rose moved over to them, standing against the edge of the seat instead of actually sitting by Scorpius.

 

"Dear old dad told us to get along, Alice." Scorpius reached out and wrapped his hand around Rose's arm, pulling on her. The move was unexpected, and she didn't have time to catch her balance before she was falling. She landed directly into Scorpius' lap. He smelled that familiar scent of her lavender shampoo as her perfect arse rubbed against him, causing him to begin to harden. He was losing his mind already, and they weren't even alone. "We're going to do our best, aren't we, Rosie?"

 

Rose screamed, reaching out her hands to slap at his arms while he laughed to cover the uncomfortable situation he was in. He was sure that during all that wiggling she must have felt him responding to her, but it was hard to tell if the pink in her cheeks was from embarrassment or anger.

 

"Come off it, Scor," Al told him, and Scorpius released her, letting her fall safely into the seat next to his. Rose glared at him and crossed her arms again.

 

"You’re an animal, Scorpius Malfoy!"

 

"What can I say?" He smirked. "You bring out the beast in me."

 

"More like the snake," she snapped back.

 

"Okay, did my dad actually say that?" Alice cut in, no doubt realizing that they would go back and forth all day if allowed.

 

"Yes," Scorpius and Rose told her together.

 

"He basically said he will take our badges away if we don't find a way to get along," Rose choked as she spoke, tripping over her words. Alice leaned forward and put a hand reassuringly on her friend's knee.

 

"Oh Rose, he won't really do that … I'm sure of it."

 

"You didn't see him, Alice," Scorpius told her. "This was not jolly old Professor Longbottom. He was serious. It was more … I see why he's a Bloody War Hero Longbottom."

 

"Maybe the two of you should stay away from each other," Albus suggested, the large grin on his lips showing just how amusing he thought all of this was. "Pretty sure that's your only hope."

 

"We can't," Rose told him miserably.

 

"Rose here can't stand to be away from me, Al."

 

She groaned and slapped him again with the back of her hand against his arm. "More like Rose here has all the same N.E.W.T. level classes with him and has to do rounds with this git every night."

 

"Every night?" Albus shouted. "What the bloody hell?"

 

"I know! Right?!" Scorpius threw his arms into the air. "That's what I said!"

 

"Well, I guess you both are going to have to learn how to get along," Alice told them doubtfully, exchanging looks with Albus. It was clear neither one of them thought that they were capable of this.

 

"Yay," Rose said with little to no actual joy in her voice as she stood up. "Come on, Alice. Let's go back to our compartment." Alice followed her, frowning as they walked away from the two boys.

 

Albus watched them go, waited until they had slid the door shut behind them, and then hissed. "Why do you have to be such a prat all the time?"

 

"What?" Scorpius raised his eyebrows at his best friend. "I thought you were my best mate."

 

"I am, but fuck, Scor. You couldn't get off her back. Were you that much of a git when you were alone with her?"

 

"No. I was substantially more of a git when I was alone with her."

 

Albus groaned and buried his head in his hands for a moment before looking back up at his friend. "Scor, you have to stop. A good ninety percent of your shit these days seems to be you just trying to get a rise out of her. What the hell?"

 

"Maybe I like getting a rise out of her." He smirked again, and Al glared at him.

 

"What are you getting at?" Al's voice was tense.

 

"I'm not getting at anything."

 

"Yes, you were. I know you Scorpius, and you may be my best mate, but if you fucking try anything with Rose-"

 

"What? I'm not good enough for your precious cousin?" Scorpius knew he should stop. He knew that Al was protective and a little crazy about Rose, but he couldn't. He was still in a mood from being around her, especially having her rubbing against his lap.

 

"No, that's not what I'm saying. She just ended things with Rowan after two years. She's, wait, why are we even talking about this? Are you planning on trying something with her?!"

 

"I … no … definitely not. I'm saying hypothetically," Scorpius insisted. 

 

"Scorpius," Al warned.

 

"Drop it, Al."

 

"What the fuck is wrong with you? The two of you can't stand to be around each other for more than ten minutes, and you want to get into her pants?" Al was shouting again. 

 

"It's complicated,” Scorpius avoided his friend’s eyes. 

 

"Yeah, well, uncomplicate it. Stay the fuck away from Rose." 

 

"I can't. I have rounds with her every night in case you missed that memo." 

 

"You know what I mean."

 

"You aren't her dad, Al. I'm pretty sure she's a big girl, and if she thinks she can work out her problems with me in a new way now that she's single-" Al's seeker reflexes kicked in at that moment, and he stood up so fast that Scorpius didn't even know what was happening until he had already been hit right in the nose by Albus' fist.

 

"Bloody fuck!" Scorpius reached up, holding his nose as he bled all over his shirt. "I'm not going to shag Rose. Merlin's fucking beard!"

 

Al sat back down and looked out the window as Scorpius grabbed his wand to fix his own nose and cleaned his face.

 

"Do you feel better now?" Scorpius asked Al. His nose was still tingling.

 

"Yes. I'm not messing around with you Scorpius. Leave her alone. She doesn't need you shoving yourself on her when she clearly doesn't want you."

 

"I was just kidding. Fuck." Scorpius shook his head like Albus was crazy, but inside he was sure that Al was wrong. Al knew nothing about the way that stupid potion had made him feel or the look Rose had given him after she had smelled it. Rose was just as attracted to him as he was to her. He knew when he did finally snog her, she was going to itch for him to keep doing it.

 

XXX

 

Rose opened the door to her dormitory and couldn't stop grinning. She had always, always loved Ravenclaw tower. The was something so simple and beautiful about the white stone and blue accents of the large, circular Common Room that she had been surrounded by for the last six years, but her Head Girl dormitory was now definitely her favorite room in the castle. It was a larger room than she had been expecting. The white stone of the tower carried into her room. There was a large circular rug of midnight blue, and her curtains were a mixture of that same shade and a beautiful bronze. There was an entire wall covered with books that she could not wait to look through, and she had her own bathroom adjacent to her bedroom. The bed was larger than her normal four poster in the dorm she had shared with the other girls previously.

 

She found that her things were already there, waiting for her, but before she could unpack them, she walked over to the portrait of a library. A girl wearing Ravenclaw robes and a Head Girl badge stood there waiting patiently. "Hello," Rose told her.

 

"Hello."

 

"I'm Rose Weasley."

 

"Lovely to meet you, Rose. I'm Alvina. Do you have the password?"

 

Rose pulled the parchment from her robes with the passwords on it and found the one she needed. "Sapientia," she told the portrait, and the girl smiled as the portrait opened, and Rose was suddenly breathless. "Oh … my …."

 

"It is breathtaking," she heard the girl in the portrait say. Rose walked into the room, pulling the door shut behind her. The room was incredibly tall, books filled shelves on every wall. There was a large fireplace in one wall with stone carvings of magical creatures dancing around the border. Two armchairs sat in front of the fire, one blue and one green. One table sat in the middle of the room. It was enormous. Rose was sure that she and Scorpius could both spread materials for all of their classes out on the table and still have room for more. There were only two chairs sitting here as well. Another wall held a small kitchen where Rose found snacks and a menu for calling down to the kitchens. The room was beautiful and very, very special, she knew that Scorpius would be impressed as well, but it was also impossible. There was no way that a room of this size would fit into Ravenclaw tower and by looking out the windows she could tell that she was in a different part of the castle. This was a new and eerie magic that Rose was not used to. She had been moved through the castle simply by stepping over the border of that portrait in her room.

 

Rose hated to leave the library, but she knew that she needed to unpack and to sleep, so she settled for snagging a book off of one of the shelves and walking back into her room. She put her things away, happy to be able to have brought a few more personal items from home this year since she had her own room. Then she changed for bed, snuggled into her sheets, and fell asleep before she could even reach over to grab the book she had wanted to read.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading. I would love to know what you think of this chapter!
> 
>  
> 
> XOXO  
> Meg


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Two

 

The next day, September second, was a Saturday. Rose had started her morning by returning to the seventh year girls’ dorm where she found that some things never changed. Upon entering, Rose had found Tamsyn Shacklebolt hanging off the side of her bed groaning, Poppy Oliver wrapped in a towel and staring at several outfits laid out on her bed, and Alice neatly dressed and ready for breakfast.

 

"Roooosssseeee," Tamsyn complained, "make them stop. It's Saturday."

 

"You'll miss breakfast," Rose told her, laughing. Tamsyn hated mornings. She was always the last up and the last ready to go. She and Rose had been friends their entire lives. Her mother loved to tell her the story of how Kingsley Shacklebolt had fallen in love. She would start by explaining that he had once been needed to pose as a secretary for the Muggle Prime Minister. When his post there ended and Kingsley was eventually elected Minister for Magic, he had developed a friendship with the Muggle Prime Minister. It was the best that ties between the two worlds had ever been at that level. Over the first year of his appointment, Kingsley had gotten to know his replacement, a much more attractive and skilled secretary, even without magic, than he himself had ever been. Kingsley had asked Colette to dinner once, and then again, and then again and again. The magical world had watched their Minister fall in love with a Muggle and waited with bated breath to see what would happen next. Every date was in the papers, no matter how hard he tried to keep it away. Eventually, Harry had told him it was better to just let them do what they were going to do, and Kingsley had stopped bothering to try to hide when he was with her.

 

What did happen next was that when Kingsley had been with Colette for two years, he turned to Hermione, a dear friend, Muggleborn, and trusted coworker, to help him to tell his girlfriend about what he truly was capable of, the responsibilities of his position, and of the world that he lived in. Hermione and Ron, recently married, had hosted dinner at their house for both couples, something they had done several times, and they had helped Kingsley show Colette who he truly was.

 

Colette had been heartbroken by his deception. She threw her wine at his face and stomped out of the Weasley's home, tears falling down her face. Hermione had insisted he give her time, and that was what he did. For two months, Kingsley sent her a letter once a week to tell her that he still loved her, and he was sorry that he had not been able to tell her sooner.

 

It was Hermione who Colette had finally gone to for answers. She showed up late one night at the Weasley's home, sobbing, and Hermione had sent Ron away. She spent nearly three hours asking Hermione questions, listening to her answers, and asking more questions. In the end, she admitted that she understood why Kingsley had needed to wait so long, especially after Hermione explained that in most cases, a witch or wizard would chose to wait to reveal themselves until after marriage. It was a mark of how serious Kingsley was about having an honest relationship with her that he had told her his secret before progressing any further.

 

Hermione had taken Colette to Kingsley's home that night and left her there to fix what had been broken. Three months later, Kingsley married Colette in a quiet Muggle ceremony that his friends by some miracle managed to keep out of the papers until after the event had occurred.

 

Colette and Hermione had gotten pregnant within a month of each other, and they had raised their girls to be friends. Tamsyn was the oldest of six Shacklebolt children, and her family was in the papers as much as Rose's. It was nice to have a friend who knew what it was like to be able to keep nothing secret, to always watch your back and think about what might be found out. Rose didn't like to live her life that way, but those thoughts did have a place in her head.

 

"Oy, Tamsyn. Get it together." Poppy Oliver, on the other hand, was a Muggle born. She had been sorted into their friendship first year and had been stuck with them, sometimes unwillingly, for the past six years. "What are you going to do when you have a job to go to and we aren't there to wake you up?"

 

"I will have my dad pay someone to do it," Tamsyn moaned, finally moving her body off of the bed. Tamsyn was nearly six feet tall, and her hair fell down in light brown ringlets to her shoulders. She had inherited her father's dark skin, and she was beautiful. There was really no other way to describe it. Rose could admit she was jealous of her friend's beauty, and she knew the other girls were too. She somehow managed to roll out of bed, spend five minutes getting ready, and still look better than all three of them. Tamsyn always had some boy or another trying to pick her up, and it was not because of her political connections.

 

Alice snorted, closing the book she had been reading. "I'm pretty sure the Minister for Magic isn't going to be so understanding of your inability to get yourself out of bed. He's got a few things of his own to deal with."

 

"Don't even get me started. He's up my butt about getting a job already. Who the bloody hell has a job already? Oh …" she glanced at Rose, "you don't …"

 

"Not yet." Rose smiled, and Tamsyn pointed a finger at her.

 

"Good. You need to have yourself some fun before you get a job. Merlin knows you've earned it.

 

"I'll take your suggestion into consideration."

 

"That's likely. How do you even have time for us with your insanity this year?" Poppy asked, finally dressed after deciding on an outfit. Poppy was short and blonde and adorable. She could smile her way out of almost anything with the Professors. It was annoying to Rose who could get out of almost nothing with Professors because they all had her on a pedestal. Poppy didn't really care about grades or how many N.E.W.T.s she ended up with, she just wanted to have fun at Hogwarts, and then whatever happened after that would happen. She was the opposite of Rose in nearly every way.

 

"Oh, ha, ha," Rose said dryly.

 

"What? You think seven N.E.W.T.S courses, a position on the house team, and Head Girl is a lot?" Alice asked, holding in a laugh behind her smile. Rose didn’t really think it was funny. Alice was supposed to be her best friend. She was nearly as ridiculous about her classes as Rose was, and she usually didn’t join in when Poppy and Tamsyn were teasing her. 

 

"My father will probably come begging you to work for him," Tamsyn told her, pulling a sweatshirt over her head.

 

"I think it's more a question of who won't come begging her to work for them," Poppy countered, and Rose had had enough.

 

"I'm going to breakfast," she told them, pushing the door open again and walking out. As they all rushed to follow her, Rose heard their apologies and insistences that they were just teasing.

 

XXX

 

Scorpius ate breakfast with Albus even though his best friend had punched him in the face the day before. He didn't mind really. It was the first time Albus had punched him, and he hoped it would be the last, but if things went the way he was hoping with Rose, it was possible that it could happen again. Scorpius surely wasn't going to tell anyone if she started snogging him, but he couldn't control what Rose would do with the information.

 

Even though it was a Saturday, Professor Vector still came around with their timetables. "It looks like you both are going to be quite busy this year," she told Albus and Scorpius as she handed them each a parchment.

 

"Yes, we will be," Scorpius told her.

 

"I have faith that you will both do excellent." She gave them a small smile, about the best one could hope for from her, and handed schedules to Darius Zabini and Euan Nott, before continuing down the line.

 

"I guess we're just not busy enough for Vector." Darius rolled his eyes at the witch's back before looking over his timetable.

 

"Look at this shit, Darius. It doesn't even have Quidditch or rounds on it yet," Albus said with a sigh, handing over his timetable.

 

"Your problem is you both care too much." Euan smiled at his timetable, happy with his four N.E.W.T.s courses.

 

Scorpius ignored Euan and told Al, "We'll survive. At least, you don't have to do rounds every bloody night."

 

"Or that seventh course. You're crazy mate." Albus grabbed Scorpius' parchment to look it over.

 

"Can't have Rosie outdoing me," he spoke without thinking, and he looked up at Al quickly, but his friend just shook his head.

 

"You're both mad." Al handed back the schedule.

 

"Totally nuts. Why would you want to be Head Boy anyway? I much prefer laying low and enjoying this last year before my parents make me go get a sodding job," Darius whined, resting his head in his hands.

 

"Boo hoo. We all have to get jobs, Darius. Gone are the good old days of being able to throw money at St. Mungo's and claim pureblood status instead of working. We apparently have to put effort into that now." Euan threw a mock look of anger at Albus who shrugged.

 

"I’m sorry my parents and aunt and uncle helped bring an end to an incredibly archaic and awful way of living, you ponces. And, they obviously aren't being any nicer about it. James is not happy with them. I'm more concerned about surviving this," he lifted his parchment a few inches, and continued, "than I am about finding a job at this point."

 

"We did the crazy schedules last year. We'll survive," Scorpius told him.

 

"Last year I wasn't Quidditch Captain, and you weren't Head Boy."

 

"True."

 

"Maybe I'll just drop something." Albus scanned his schedule, searching for holes that he could make.

 

"The only class you could drop and still be considered for your Dad's department would be Astronomy."

 

"Well, I won't be doing that."

 

Scorpius smirked. "Now who's being dumb over a girl?" Scorpius knew all too well how Albus really felt about Alice Longbottom, and it certainly wasn't a friendly affection for the girl who happened to be his cousin’s best friend and the same girl who his brother, James, had snogged in a broom closet. Albus was head over heels crazy for her, and he just ignored it because of the James thing.

 

"I don't know what you're talking about." Albus looked affronted as if it was entirely unfounded for Scorpius to be claiming that he was pining for his brother's sometimes girl.

 

"I think we missed something," Euan told Darius.

 

"They are doing their weird best mates thing again."

 

"They make me want to barf."

 

"Get a room!" Darius groaned, putting up his hand.

 

Scorpius ignored them, lowering his voice. "Yes, you do. Look I've said it before. She and James never actually made anything official, so…"

 

"Not going to happen," Albus said sternly.

 

Scorpius stood from the table, grabbing his schedule. "Well, then you just keep pining and making yourself suffer by sitting through Astronomy with her. I'm off. Haven't been to see our Heads Library yet, and I think I'll get a jump on some reading today."

 

"We haven't even started lessons! I was hoping we could catch some time on the pitch." Albus stuffed the last of a biscuit into his mouth and jumped up after his friend.

 

"When has that ever stopped me?" Scorpius asked and Albus groaned.

 

Euan and Darius suddenly stopped their fooling around and looked up expectantly at Scorpius.

 

"Come on!"

 

"It's been months!"

 

"Oh all right. You can have one hour, but then I'm going to read, and you're all going to man up and deal with it," Scorpius chided.

 

"Deal."

 

The four of them were almost to the exit when he heard, "Malfoy," and, he and Al stopped to wait for Rose, who was walking towards them.

 

"Morning, Rose," Al told her, and Scorpius just stood next to him waiting for her to speak. Most of the Professors were sitting at the Head Table, and Al would probably punch him again if he made any lewd comments, so Scorpius thought it was probably wisest to be on his best behavior.

 

"I was hoping we could work on the schedule for rounds today."

 

He resisted the urge to grin. Her words bringing to the surface his plans for that schedule. "Sure. Al wants me to head to the pitch with him for about an hour, and I'll be in the library the rest of the day. Just come by."

 

"Have you seen it yet?" Rose grinned broadly, her excitement plain on her face.

 

"No, I crashed last night." Al smirked next to him, and Scorpius could have kicked him. He had crashed, but only after they drank a good amount of something special that Darius had brought from home, and he'd lost an unprecedented number of rounds of Exploding Snap. That was not normally something that he or Al would partake in on the first night back, but it was a weekend after all.

 

"Well, it's definitely special," she said remembering his words on the train. "I'll see you later then." She spun and headed back to her table.

 

"I might die," Albus told him, his eyes wide.

 

"What?"

 

"You and Rose just spoke to each other, and neither one of you was a complete arse about it."

 

Scorpius hit him with his shoulder for being a prat, and they left the Great Hall to grab their brooms.

 

XXX

 

Scorpius put his broom back in the corner of his room two hours later. He had tried to dip out many times, but in the end, his friends had kept convincing him to stay. If he was honest, it was nice to be back at it. His mother really had been awful that summer, wanting him to be with her nearly every moment. His father had tried to talk reason into her, but she was a mess. He was her only child, and he was leaving her, and there was nothing anyone could say or do to make that better in her eyes.

 

His father had also tried to get him to reconsider moving out as soon as he finished school, encouraging him to stay on with them a little longer, but Scorpius couldn't. He had already been offered and accepted a job that would start immediately after his graduation from Hogwarts. There was no way he was going to do that and live with his Mum and Dad. No one knew, but he wasn't taking seven N.E.W.T. classes to stay up with Rose. He was taking them because he needed them. He hadn't even told Al. The pair of them had always talked about applying to be Aurors together and working their way up in the department. Now, Scorpius was going off script, and he honestly didn't know how Al would feel about it. He was going to give Al a few days, at least, to recover from punching him before he found out.

 

Scorpius tried to shake the thought of his mother and his job out of his head as he packed a few books and parchment into his school bag. He really did need to keep getting ahead. Seven N.E.W.T.s was hard to juggle, and now he had even less time to juggle it in. He was going to be spending a lot of his ‘free’ time this year with a book in front of his nose.

 

The library was behind the portrait of another Slytherin Head Boy. The portrait sneered at Scorpius as he said the password and swung open without a word to reveal the room beyond. The first thing he saw was Rose sitting at a very large table, books stacked around her, and parchment in neat piles.

 

He walked over to her, looking around the room as he did, taking in the walls filled with books, the kitchen, and the general awe that the room inspired. "Holy crap."

 

Rose jumped, clearly too absorbed in her work to have noticed him approaching. "Shit, Malfoy! You scared me."

 

"Sorry, love."

 

"Oh, we're back to that are we?" She raised an eyebrow in frustration.

 

"Yep. Your knight in shining armor isn't here to keep me in check."

 

"My knight-" The look of confusion that had spread over her features faded, replaced with a look of indignation. "Albus? What did he do?"

 

"He punched me yesterday. Broke my nose." Scorpius touched the side of his nose as if it still hurt, which was nothing close to the truth; the healing spell had done its job.

 

"What?"

 

"He didn't really like how I was talking to you, I guess, but he doesn't know our little secret, does he?" Rose blanched, her mouth opening but nothing came out. Neither one of them had ever openly discussed what had happened last year in Slughorn's Potions class, but they both knew. When she didn't speak, Scorpius walked around the room to see everything better. "This is amazing, isn't it?"

 

"Yes." Rose stood, having slightly recovered from his mention of their moment over the Amortentia. "It really is."

 

"So, should we get started?" he asked, taking a seat in the green armchair by the fire. Rose sat across from him in the blue one and watched as he pulled out his wand. He waved it at the blank air between them and a board appeared there, floating above the fire.

 

Rose raised her own wand, and with a flick of her wrist, a chart drawn in chalk appeared on the board, waiting for the names of the prefects.

 

"You and I have to be on Fridays and Saturdays," she said, flicking again, watching their names slowly appear as if some invisible person was writing them.

 

"We should put Albus and Alice together. They get along well."

 

"You do know I'm one of his best friends, too? I know he likes her." She probably could have used a nicer tone, but she was still annoyed that he had made that comment about their ‘secret’.

 

"Of course you do." Scorpius hadn't known that Al had told her, and he wasn't too happy that she knew. It was always a point of pride between them when one knew something the other did not, but that was especially true when that something was about Albus. "What's her deal anyway?"

 

"Who's deal? Alice?" Scorpius nodded, and Rose shrugged.

 

"I don't know. She's … who knows. She liked James, but you know James…"

 

"He's a whore," Scorpius said honestly. 

 

"Well, I maybe wouldn't use that word per se, but yeah, he is, and Alice thought she could be okay with doing his casual thing, but she really just wasn't, I guess."

 

"So … her and Al?"

 

"I don't know. Wouldn't that be weird? Last year she was snogging his brother."

 

"If they both want it, they should just do it."

 

"Well, if she asks me for your opinion, I'll let her know you feel that way." She rolled her eyes and shook her head at him again as if the thought of anyone wanting his opinion was laughable.

 

"No need to be a twat about it. I am allowed to have opinions," Scorpius told her.

 

"Not about other people's love lives. It's up to them what they are comfortable with. And, don't call me that."

 

"Don't act like one, and I won't."

 

Rose stared up at the schedule and didn't respond. She was trying so hard to be calm, not to start anything, not to fight with him. After a few minutes, she flicked her wand and added Alice and Albus as a pair to Tuesday and Friday night rounds.

 

They went through the rest of the students, matching them by year with a prefect in a different house. Mixing the houses kept favoritism down, but it couldn't eradicate it entirely.

 

"You've put Lily with Ben on Tuesdays," Rose said a good ten minutes later, neither one of them had spoken. Instead, they had just taken turns silently matching pairs.

 

"So?"

 

"So, she'll hex him to bits the first chance she gets. They are worse than us. Besides, he's a sixth year, and she's only fifth. Put her with Tucker. They get on better, and they are both fifth years. We can move Ben to Thursdays."

 

"Oh no, you don't! We're having practice on Thursdays. That isn't fair." Scorpius didn't actually give a flobberworm's arse if Ben had to do rounds and practice, but this had been his first chance to rile up Rose.

 

"Seriously?" Rose rolled her eyes again.

 

"Can you stop rolling your eyes at me every five minutes like I'm a bloody idiot incapable of understanding anything?"

 

"Well, stop acting like it," she snapped.

 

"He's a bloody chaser. He's going to be exhausted. It's not right to make him do another hour and a half of rounds wandering around the castle."

 

"Then he shouldn't be a chaser and a prefect."

 

"Really, Rose? I don't see you in a rush to schedule yourself or Alice on Mondays."

 

"Well, it just worked out that way. I'm not trying to give us special treatment."

 

"Well, let's just work it out that Ben is off Thursdays." Rose rolled her eyes for a third time as she waved her wand, shifting names, and Scorpius growled.

 

He stood, waved his wand, and murmured a few words under his breath. Rose screamed as cold water fell onto her as if poured from a bucket.

 

"What the bloody fuck?!" she screamed, jumping out of her seat.

 

"I told you to stop rolling your eyes at me."

 

"WE'RE SUPPOSED TO BE GETTING ALONG!" she screamed at him, water dripping off every surface of her upper body.

 

"Well, I didn't see the harm. No one else is here to see what I do to you." He laughed as her face grew red. Her hair was clinging to her cheeks, and her eyes were wide.

 

"You are such a prat!" Rose twisted her wand, and suddenly Scorpius could feel his skin crawling under his shirt. He started to scream and dance, pulling at his buttons, ripping them off. Rose doubled over, laughing as she watched him wiggle as he pulled off his shirt and then his undershirt.

 

"Die, die, die!" he screamed and threw his shirt into the fire, still brushing at his skin, doing his dance. Rose was choking on her laughter, tears in her eyes from watching him.

 

He stared at her, looking totally and completely pissed off while he waited for her to stop laughing. She came down slowly, still stifling a few chuckles when he spoke. "That wasn't funny."

 

"Yes, it was. You should have seen your face. And the dancing. Oh, you were dancing," she giggled and watched him glare at her. "You ripped your shirt off so fast. Never in my life." And she was laughing again. This was not how he had pictured this going at all. He thought, if he started nitpicking about the schedule, she would argue back and they would escalate into screaming, and he could kiss her in a fit of rage, and then things would just progress naturally from there. Right now, he was standing half naked in front of her while she laughed at him. He was supposed to be snogging her senseless to shut up her usual screaming. He watched her laughing at him, his scowl growing darker, and he decided that he wasn't going to let a little water and an itching charm ruin his damn plans.

 

Scorpius walked over to Rose, pulled her up by her shoulders, and while she was still laughing, he pressed his lips against hers, pulling her close. She stopped laughing immediately, her lips on fire for the briefest of moments, and then she pulled back.

 

"What the … Scorpius … just … what?"

 

"I was serious on the train. I'm not letting some other git like Rowan get in my way. I want you, and I know you want me too, so don't even pretend."

 

"That's not how this works!"

 

"It is now. I saw you in Slughorn's class, Rose. You know I did."

 

"That was a year ago!"

 

"Yes, and I've waited a year to find out how bloody good you taste." He kissed her again. His fingers wrapped into her wet hair, holding her lips against his. By some miracle she was kissing him back, her lips moving against his. His body was on fire so he pressed hard against her soaked chest, feeling the cold water against his burning skin. Every fiber of his body ached for Rose Weasley.

 

Her own arms moved without direction, pulling him tighter into her, melding their bodies closer together. In that moment, kissing Scorpius was all about heat and desire and a need burning hard inside of her that she couldn't explain or understand. Her heart was racing, and she couldn't help but think that all those moments with Rowan had been nothing compared to how she felt with Scorpius finally against her. She had imagined this moment for so long, and now it was finally here, and it was perfect. Scorpius bit at her bottom lip softly, and Rose unwillingly moaned into his mouth, before pulling back just a hair, enough to speak.

 

"We pretend we don't know how badly we want each other, and we do what we've always done," she whispered, her words tickling his lips. "The rules haven't changed."

 

"You changed them when things ended with Rowan. I wouldn't snog you senseless when you were with him, but that's over, and now, I’m done waiting." His lips were hard on hers again, claiming her.

 

She pulled back again, stepped away from him, pulling out of his hands, making the distance between them several feet. "This doesn't make any sense, Scorpius. We can't even make a rounds chart without cursing each other."

 

"It doesn't have to make sense. We're not going to fall in love, but, shit, Rose. Do you really not want to kiss me again after that?" He didn't speak for a long time, waiting while she silently stared at the carpet. "See?"

 

"Just because we want to do something doesn't mean we should."

 

"We have to figure out how to get through this year without losing our badges."

 

"So, what are you suggesting? We snog instead?" Her voice was high, and she sounded angry and terrified at the same time.

 

"I'm suggesting we find a new way to deal with our problems. A much more satisfying way."

 

"That's disgusting," she insisted. 

 

"Maybe," he agreed, "but it would work."

 

"I'm not doing it."

 

"Just think about it." He moved towards her again, and she tried to back away, but the back of her knees hit her chair. He pulled his wand out, waving it over her, drying her hair, her body, and her clothes. She watched him take the last step until he was standing right in front of her. He leaned into her, their foreheads touching. She could smell sandalwood and cinnamon, and it made her want him even more. His hands grabbed her hips and pulled her into him. "Rose …" He sounded like he was in pain, like she was killing him. "I haven't been able to stop thinking about you since I smelled your lavender shampoo in that damn dungeon. I need to do this. I need to get you out of my system. Can you honestly tell me it hasn't been the same for you?"

 

She put her hands on his chest and sighed. "No, I can't."

 

"Then think about it." He leaned further down to kiss her, and this time, he felt her arms snake up around his neck from his chest and her body fall into his before he even reached her. His lips brushed over hers, and then he felt her press hard against him, demanding more pressure. He obliged, pulling her even closer, snaking one arm back up into her hair and using his other arm to hold her tight against him. He felt the fire burn inside of him again as she let out another soft moan and flicked her tongue at his mouth.

 

He parted his lips for her, allowing her to swirl her tongue around his. He felt his body growing hard against her, his mind racing ten steps ahead to what he wanted to do with her. She was running her hands down his sides, her hips rolling forward into his. Several minutes later, she stopped to breathe, her forehead still against his. They were both breathing hard. "I'll think about it," she promised. "Let's finish the schedule."

 

XXX

 

Rose laid on her bed later that night trying to read, even going through the motions of holding a book in her hands in front of her face. It may as well have been written in another language. She couldn't focus enough to figure out what the words on the page were trying to tell her. All she could think about was Scorpius, and for once, she was going to have to actually think about it. Usually, she would go find Rowan, who would be only too happy to scratch her itch, but now … now she would have to consider his proposition. Well, consider probably wasn't the right word. Rose knew the answer to his suggestion.

 

It was no.

 

Undeniably, without question, no.

 

But, if that was true, why did she keep seeing his face, his eyes, in particular, watching her, claiming her. She could still feel the heat in her stomach that his look of desire had created there.

 

This didn't make any sense. She hadn't even kissed Rowan like that for months after they started dating. Granted that was two years ago, and he had been her first boyfriend, but still. She had done everything right, taken her time, been slow and worked on their relationship. He met her parents, and she, well, his dad was already at Hogwarts, so, of course, she knew him, but she met his mother. Every decision she ever made about furthering their relationship was made with careful consideration and at the appropriate time. There was only one time she had ever completely lost her head with Rowan, and it had been right after the Amortentia incident. After the way Scorpius had looked at her, and the way her body had responded to the scent of him floating from that potion, Rose had needed someone - something - bad, and she wasn't about to admit that person was Scorpius. She knew Rowan would be at the pitch, because her boyfriend was nothing if not obsessed with Quidditch. His father had definitely rubbed off on him and his brother in that way.

 

She had gone straight to the pitch when she got out of Potions, not bothering to even drop her bags in her room. Rowan had been flying when she arrived, but he came down to her after she got his attention. He'd walked up to her, opening his mouth to greet her, and she had wrapped her arms around him, crushing his lips with hers. "I need you," she had mumbled, embarrassed, and they had gone to the nearest private area - the changing rooms. Rowan had pushed her against the wall, and she had felt his lips suckle at her neck. His fingers fumbled with the buttons on her shirt, wanting to feel her breasts, the one thing she had let him touch under her clothes before that day. She had moaned, her body needing him to explore past their usual allowed areas. "Touch me." She had barely been able to get the words out, grabbing one of his hands and moving it down her body.

 

With a look of shock and pure amazement, Rowan had let her move his hand under her skirt and then taken control, his hand eager and nervous as one finger slipped into her knickers and between her folds for the first time. She had moaned as he moved one finger and then two in and out of her, mimicking the motions she was sure his cock was screaming for. She clenched his hair in one hand as he continued to suck at the soft skin of her neck while the other reached down to swirl around her clit. "Fuck." She had leaned against him as she came several minutes later; her teeth bit down hard on her lip, and her mind raced with thoughts of Scorpius Malfoy.

 

That had been a dark day for Rose Weasley. She never really recovered from the feeling of betrayal she felt towards herself. She had used Rowan, and there was no way she could explain that. He had been elated by the change in their relationship, jumping on the momentum to get her to try other things he had been longing to do with her. Each time, she felt dirty; dirty for remembering the way she had wanted and needed Scorpius that first time and for imagining him touching her countless times after. It had created an invisible barrier between her and Rowan that he had no way of understanding or even realizing was there. Neither one of them was blameless in their break up, and this particular issue, this particular lie, this particular distance was definitely one thing that she would take the blame for.

 

Now, one year later with Scorpius, she didn't know what to do. Scorpius didn't want a relationship. He just wanted to snog her, and who knew what else? Not that Rose wanted a relationship with him, because that would be ridiculous, but was she capable of doing those things, the ones she had done with Rowan and Rowan alone, with someone who didn't feel anything but animosity and lust towards her? Their dislike of each other was passionate, and they were both attractive and attracted to each other, but did that mean that she should forget everything she had ever insisted on with Rowan out of respect for herself just to act out the fantasies she had been having for a year?

 

Rose desperately wished she could ask her mother. Hermione Granger was incredibly good when it came to making hard decisions. She had helped Rose through so many decisions that there was no way she could recall or count them, but she doubted very much that her mother would want to help her with this particular problem. Her parents were tolerant of the Malfoys. They had very occasionally had to co-exist, and no one ended up cursed or threatened, so everyone considered it a win. Her Aunt Ginny and Uncle Harry had spent slightly more time with them but also weren't jumping to invite the Malfoys to Sunday dinner. No one in her family would be happy if it happened to get out that she was carrying on a … a … what? a … physical relationship … with Scorpius. Clearly, Al even hated the idea as he had punched Scorpius in the face for his suggesting comments. How could she risk them finding out and their opinions of her being ruined? Would this one thing overshadow so many others that they loved about her? Surely not, but … what if it did? What if it changed their opinions just enough?

 

Rose buried her face in her pillow, screaming into it in frustration.

 

She knew the answer.

 

It was undeniably no.

 

So, why didn't she want to tell him that?

 

XXX

 

At 9 pm that night, Rose met Scorpius in their library. She was trying very hard not to think about how good he had looked without his shirt on after he'd thrown it in the fire when she had hexed him earlier that afternoon, but she couldn't push the image out of her mind. She liked looking at him. If she was going to be really honest, she liked him looking at her.

 

"Ready?" he asked, and she nodded. They exited the library through the third door and found that they were very near the Great Hall. They walked out into the corridor, shut the door, and watched it vanish.

 

"I guess we can only get in from our bedrooms," Rose said aloud, stroking the wall, searching for the entrance.

 

"Sapientia," Scorpius said the password beside her. Nothing happened. "Looks like you're right."

 

"Do you ever wonder how many secrets this castle is hiding that nobody even knows about?" Rose tore her eyes away from the wall and looked at him.

 

"Not really. The castle is old, and we rarely have a reason to explore it further than lessons and nicking food from the kitchen. I'm sure that we don't even scratch the surface of what it's hiding."

 

"Hmmm." Rose moved away from the wall, leaving that particular mystery behind and started to walk. They were doing rounds alone tonight and starting the schedule tomorrow. They would deliver them to the prefects at breakfast. Scorpius followed after her. They were quiet for a while, each of them lost in their own thoughts, and no one seemed to be out of bed. Rose also felt weird, unsure of how to act around him now that he had kissed her like that. Where in the world did that leave them?

 

Even with all of that, there was only so much silence Scorpius could take when he was still waiting for her answer. "So, did you consider my option for helping us get along better."

 

Rose's heart skipped a beat, and she stammered, "Uhhhh… I…"

 

"It just makes sense. Say yes."

 

"I …" She wanted to say yes. She wanted to stop him right now and snog him in the middle of the deserted Potions corridor, but her mind was so full of reasons not to.

 

Scorpius seemed to catch her hesitancy. He stopped her with a hand at her waist. "We both want this. It can't be wrong. We just do this, then you and I go our separate ways, and we'll be over this … whatever this attraction is."

 

"I can't," Rose mumbled, holding her eyes closed for a minute. "I can't do it."

 

"But …"

 

"No. You're right. I do want it." There was no sense lying about that. She knew she wanted him just as badly as he wanted her. He didn't know the details of her relationship with Rowan and the guilt she had felt when her mind wandered at times it really shouldn't have, but he knew enough to know she felt that same desire coursing through her when he touched her body. "I just can't risk my family finding out or losing Head Girl and who knows what else just to snog you."

 

"No one will ever know. It will be our little secret." He leaned down, trailing his lips across hers, and she pulled back.

 

"Hogwarts may keep secrets, but people don't. Someone will find out. We'll slip up. Things like this always end badly."

 

"No, we won't. We're the two smartest students in the school. I think we can snog without getting caught. And it will help us get along in class which we have to do."

 

"I just can't. We'll find another way to get along. Somehow our parents managed it, so it must be possible." She pulled back from him, breaking his hold on her waist.

 

She didn't wait for him to speak again. She just walked away, waiting for him to follow her. Scorpius stared after her, a frown deepening on his face. He had imagined the many ways this night would go once she agreed to his plan, but not once had he imagined what he would do if she didn't.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading. I would love to know what you think of this chapter.   
> XOXO  
> Meg


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

 

The next day, Rose and Scorpius handed out copies of the prefects schedule at breakfast. She was responsible for distributing to the girls in each house, and he took care of the boys. Rose knew better than to stay around and chat after giving them out. There would surely be those who would want her to change their schedule, so she ate her breakfast quickly with her friends, made a quick round of the tables to give out the parchments, and left the Great Hall.

 

She hoped to get ahead as much as possible because this was probably her last weekend without Quidditch practice. Aaron Boot, the Ravenclaw Captain, was just as crazy as the three other Captains. She was surprised she hadn't received a summons to a meeting already. She knew that Albus was having the Slytherin team together on Monday to "talk strategy."

 

While she was eager to get ahead, Rose was not eager to be locked in the Heads Library with Scorpius all day. As there was no way of knowing if he was there without going into the room, Rose decided to head to the school library instead to search for a quiet corner. She found one easily enough considering there were seemingly less than ten students in the entire library. Most of the students were enjoying the weekend with friends and not reading or studying for N.E.W.T.s, but she was not most students. 

 

This plan worked for about an hour. Rose was reading her Ancient Runes text when the first prefect showed up. It was Riley Greene, a sixth year Slytherin girl. "Rose."

 

"Hello, Riley," Rose said, looking up from her book.

 

"Hey, so, can we talk about this?" she asked. Without pausing to get an answer she continued, "I'm on Friday and Saturday rounds."

 

"Yes. You are," Rose confirmed.

 

"That hardly seems fair."

 

"Your marks slipped last year when you had rounds on weeknights." Riley's mouth dropped open. "Scorpius and I thought you might benefit from having those nights to study."

 

"I'm sure that Scorpius didn't have anything to do with this. He wouldn't do this to me," Riley sneered, and Rose had to resist the urge to laugh at the girl. Scorpius must have snogged her at some point.

 

"I assure you that we made the schedule together. If you have questions for him personally about his intentions, you can take that up with him. He and I are both doing Friday and Saturday rounds, in addition to Head rounds every evening, so I doubt he's going to be sympathetic," Rose explained. 

 

"So, you're not going to change this?" Riley waved the parchment, disbelief etched on her face.

 

"No, I'm not." Rose had never liked this girl anyway. "If you can't handle your scheduled rounds, you'll have to talk to Professor Longbottom about resigning."

 

"I'm not resigning,” Riley snapped. “I'm going to talk to Scorpius about this."

 

"Great. Have a good day," Rose told her with a smile and looked back down at her book to signal that the conversation was over. Riley huffed and walked away, leaving Rose annoyed and thinking about Scorpius snogging that idiot.

 

It was another twenty minutes before Lily showed up. "Hey, Rosie!" She sat down across from her cousin, pulling her knees up to her chest.

 

"Hey, Lils,” she said as she looked up again. 

 

"How is your weekend?" Lily asked. 

 

"Fine. What's wrong with your schedule?” 

 

"Oh," Lily blushed and looked away, "it's just that … well … Tucker and I … we … may have snogged a couple times, and being on rounds with him would be awkward."

 

"Ugh, Lily" - Rose let her face fall into her book - "Who haven't you snogged?!"

 

"Oh, loads of people actually," Lily said brightly as she giggled. 

 

"Ok, what fifth-year male prefect haven't you snogged?" Rose picked her head up and glared at her.

 

"Ok. Ok. Point taken," Lily told her as she stood up to leave, "but it's not my fault if we end up snogging in a broom closet during rounds." She winked at Rose and left her cousin groaning behind her. Hogwarts’ finest, ladies and gentlemen.

 

As she was leaving, Mavis Tucker turned the corner of the bookshelf, her eyes falling on Rose. "Rose!"

 

"I'm not here! I'm not changing the schedule!" Rose shouted as she shoved her work into her bag, threw it over her shoulder, and grabbed her Ancient Runes book to leave the table. Mavis stared at her with big eyes as Rose stomped off, heading for the exit.

 

She entered the Heads Library ten minutes later. Scorpius was sitting at the table, parchment and books spread out before him. He didn't even look up at her when she entered. Rose sat on the opposite side of the table, pulled out her work, and stared down at her Ancient Runes text again.

 

She felt like she should say something, as if there was a huge cloud hanging between them, but she didn't know what to say. He wanted to snog her, and she couldn't, and it was weird, and she still didn't really like him, and that was weird. It was all just a mess, and she wished that he had just kept to the plan and kept his lips and hands to himself - and apparently Riley. Thinking about Riley made her blood boil. What right did that stupid princess have to come telling her that Scorpius would never give her that schedule and rub it in Rose's face that she and Scorpius had been … something … at some point, maybe even still were?

 

"Your girlfriend hunted me down in the library today,” she spat, unable to resist. 

 

"My what?" Scorpius looked up for the first time, confused. 

 

"Your girlfriend, Riley Greene."

 

"Oh, Merlin." Scorpius rolled his eyes. "What were you even doing in the library?"

 

"Avoiding you of course! Apparently, you can't be in the same room with me without snogging me now, but I guess that's just how you are with all the girls. Ugh! You were so high and mighty yesterday. 'I would never snog you when you were with him.' Yeah, right. I'm just one more notch on your broomstick." She knew she was being ridiculous, but she couldn’t stop the words from tumbling out of her mouth. 

 

"Riley Greene and I went to Hogsmeade together last year. I haven't seen her like that again," Scorpius told her. He sounded much more calm and composed than she felt. 

 

Rose scoffed, forcing her eyes back to her book. 

 

"Are you jealous?" Scorpius smirked at her as she shot him a look of indignation. 

 

"Of course not! You can snog whoever you want, and I can snog whoever I want."

 

"Or we could snog each other." Scorpius shrugged as if it didn’t matter to him. 

 

"Not going to happen," Rose said with finality, and they fell into a silence that stretched throughout the rest of the day while they both worked.

 

XXX

 

The pair managed to get through the first two days of classes without any conflict. It wasn't until Wednesday that something happened which disrupted the peace that seemed to follow their kiss on Saturday. They had fallen into an awkward state of ignoring each other, and they both knew it was very much too good to be true.

 

On Wednesday, Scorpius and Rose both had Advanced Potions. They sat with Albus and Alice like they had always done. Alice and Rose were chatting, having reached a lull period in their work, when Aaron Boot approached them.

 

"Hello, ladies," he said, putting a hand on each of their shoulders.

 

"Hello, Aaron,” Rose told him brightly. 

 

"I just wanted to let you two know that we're going to be meeting tomorrow night to get our practice schedule mapped out. Seven in the common room." 

 

"Sounds great," Alice said. 

 

"I've been wanting to talk to you also, Rose. I know it's early, but I was hoping you might want to go to Hogsmeade with me," he asked with a confident smile. 

 

"Uh …" For the briefest of moments, her eyes flickered to Scorpius, her mind blank, searching for an answer. Aaron was great. He was wonderful, really, but did she want to date him? Why did he want to date her? Was she even ready to date anyone?

 

"You and Rowan are over right?" he asked with a hint of hesitation. 

 

"Yes!" Rose said quickly, pulling a lock of her curly red hair behind her ear. "Um … over Halloween weekend?"

 

"Yeah, I suspect that's when we’ll be going." He grinned at her and gave a small chuckle which made Rose laugh nervously while Alice, Albus, and Scorpius stared at them.

 

"Can I think about it? Maybe we can talk more before that. It's just … I haven't been out with anyone since we, um, broke up," she explained awkwardly. 

 

"Yeah, for sure. I'll see you tomorrow night." He leaned in and kissed her on the cheek, and Rose stared at his back as he walked away.

 

"Well, that was gross," Scorpius said loudly, snapping Rose out of her fog.

 

"What?"

 

“That was gross. Who would want to take you to Hogsmeade? I guess Aaron likes being bossed around and ignored for a book while out on dates." 

 

Rose was livid. First of all, Scorpius Malfoy had been trying to get her to freaking kiss him four damn days ago, and she was pretty sure he was still open to the idea. Secondly, she was tired of her friends, Rowan, and basically everyone making her feel like a bad person because she actually tried hard and did well in school. Rose knew how to walk away from a book, but she also knew that she wasn't going to cake walk her way through seven N.E.W.T.s while also being Keeper on the Ravenclaw team and Head Girl. She had enough to deal with without everyone rubbing in her face how much work she had and making her feel bad for actually doing it well.

 

“Scorpius,” Albus said in a tone which clearly told the other boy to back off, but Rose hadn't forgotten Scorpius' knight in shining armor comment.

 

“I don't need you to protect me, Albus. I'm a big girl. You aren't my brother, and I'm not a damsel in distress.”

 

Scorpius snorted. "Whatever helps you sleep at night, Red. All that book time is probably why Rowan dumped you to go find someone else."

 

Rose didn't even think. She couldn't even process what she was doing before she had pulled her wand off the table and pointed it at Scorpius. "Anteocul-" but she never finished the spell because one of Alice's hands was on her mouth, stopping her, while her other hand pushed down her wand.

 

"Rose" she hissed, looking pointedly at Slughorn who was sitting behind his desk eating a chocolate, oblivious to what Rose Weasley, Head Girl, had been attempting to do to Scorpius Malfoy, Head Boy. "He's not worth it."

 

Rose pulled Alice's hand down and grabbed her bag. "You're right, Alice. He's not." She looked right into his eyes as she said the last two words. She walked away from their table and towards Slughorn. "I'm not feeling well, Professor," she told him, anger still lacing her words.

 

"Oh, well, dear, you better head off to see Madam Longbottom."

 

"Yes. Thank you," she said, and she left the dungeon and her friends behind.

 

XXX

 

Rose didn't go to lunch or Herbology. She had never skipped a class before, but she couldn't handle it. There was no way that Scorpius, or her friends, could know how true the things he had said about Rowan were - how much they hurt - but they were, and they did, and it was awful.

 

For months, really the entire past year, Rowan had been begging Rose to sleep with him, telling her that it would bring them closer, and they would have a much deeper relationship because of it. It wasn't that she was a prude; Rose loved to be with him. She loved to make him feel good, and, obviously, she loved it when it was reciprocated, but something about sex had seemed so … much. She hadn't known what exactly was stopping her, but there was something in the back of her mind telling her not to do it. She should have listened. She should have held out and told him she wasn't ready for that yet, but he had been persistent, and she had been dumb. Rose Weasley, the brightest witch of her year, probably several years actually, had been an idiot.

 

She had finally lost her virginity to Rowan Wood the night of his graduation from Hogwarts. It was perfect in the moment. Rowan was everything she ever thought she wanted. He was handsome, intelligent, and very talented at Quidditch. The night of his graduation, they had a party for him at the Burrow. Everyone came: all of their friends, their families, their parent’s friends ... everyone. At the end of the night, Rowan had kissed her goodnight. She had leaned in to whisper in his ear that she had tweaked her father's wards on the house to let him in for just one day.

 

Rowan Apparated directly into her room and waited for her to get home. He was slow and gentle and generous. He made her feel like she was a goddess, his goddess, and, for once, Scorpius Malfoy was the furthest person from her thoughts. As Rowan slid inside of her for the first time, whispering that he loved her, Rose had loved him so much that her chest hurt. He murmured words of affection, admiration, and worship as they made love for the first, and the second time. She had laid in his arms that night, sure that he was it for her. She believed she had found the person she would spend the rest of her life with in her first real boyfriend.

 

They already had a plan to prove it. Rowan had been recruited by the Montrose Magpies for their reserve team, which was a huge deal. He was going to move into a flat they both loved in the summer before she went back to school. He was going to play that year, and she was going to finish school and then find a job. Then they would date a couple more years while they lived there together, just having fun, working on their careers. When things settled down, they would get married. Her parents probably wouldn't love the plan, but they would deal with it because they loved her, and they loved Rowan, and the pair were clearly meant to be.

 

Three weeks later, Rose had found out that they clearly were not. Rowan had shown up to her house drunk, a state she had rarely ever seen him in, and never this bad. Her parents had been asleep, but Hugo had still been in the living room. He heard Rowan at the door, and went to get Rose. They had helped him into the house, dumping him on the couch. "I'm so sorry, Rosie, my Rosie," he mumbled as they moved him.

 

"It's okay," she told him, rubbing his back. "Can you get him some water and maybe a Sober-up potion? I think Mum keeps some-"

 

"I know where Mum keeps it," Hugo told her, leaving the couple behind.

 

"I'm so awful, Rosie. I'm so terrribulll. I love you, but I'm, I'm wrong." He let his head fall into his hands and wobbled, even in his seat. "I'm wrong."

 

"You're not wrong, Rowan," she whispered. She knew that, in his heart, Rowan didn't think he was good enough for anything. He was never good enough at school, or Quidditch, or for her, but she knew he was. She knew he was perfect for her, and incredible at Quidditch, and brilliant, and they were an amazing team. They had always made a great team; everyone said so. "You're just drunk, love."

 

"Sooo drrrrrunk. I sooo was bad."

 

"It's just a little alcohol. We'll get you fixed up."

 

"I shouldn't’ve done it. No. I shouldn't."

 

"Shouldn't have gotten drunk? Probably not." She laughed and continued to rub circles on his back.

 

"The girl … so … beautiful and ready." Rose froze. Her hand stopped moving, and she heard Hugo's footsteps approaching. "They'rrrr always ready," Rowan finished, and Rose stood up. Her mouth had fallen open, and her heart was racing. What was he saying? Was he just drunk and didn't know what was going on, or was he admitting to something … something … fuck. She couldn't even think about what he was admitting.

 

"Give that to him, now," she said tensely as Hugo walked back into the room, confusion at her changed mood on his face. "Just do it," Rose said. She watched her brother coerce her boyfriend, the man she had planned her life around, to take the potion and swallow it. "How long?" she asked.

 

"A few minutes, and he'll be coherent, but hurting. What's going on?" Hugo asked. 

 

"I don't know." She shook her head, not even sure what to think or say. She and Hugo just stood there for five minutes, waiting while Rowan held his head and muttered something every once in awhile. "Rowan, how do you feel?" she asked, and he groaned.

 

"Like I was hit by a bus." His voice was back to normal. He lifted his head and looked at her. "I'm sorry I came here like this. I don't really know why-"

 

"It sounded like you wanted to make a confession." Rose crossed her arms, not as a sign of aggression, but because she needed something to hold on to, something to keep her together.

 

Rowan's bloodshot eyes grew wide. "Wh-what did I say?"

 

"You said the girls are always" - Rose closed her eyes, feeling her brother and her boyfriend watching her. She opened them again and took a deep breath - "beautiful and ready, and you were wrong and sorry."

 

"Oh, fuck." Rowan was off the couch in an instant, his arms around her. "I'm so sorry, baby. I don't know what I was thinking,” and she knew it was true. He'd cheated on her.

 

Hugo stood next to her, his jaw dropped and his arms slack at his sides, staring at Rowan as if he couldn't believe what a fucking idiot he was.

 

Rose began to shout, "Get off me!" She pushed back on him, and he tried to touch her hair.

 

"Rose, baby, please let me explain," Rowan pleaded.

 

"Ok. Explain. How many of them? How long has this been going on?" She no longer cared that it was midnight, or that her parents were upstairs, or that her brother was standing right next to them.

 

"It's complicated. I- I don't know."

 

"You don’t know? How about when we shagged for the first time three weeks ago? Were you sleeping with other girls then?" Rose felt tears in her eyes threatening to spill down her cheeks as she continued to shout, and her vision blurred.

 

"Rose…" This time, the voice was soft and feminine. Rose brushed the tears out of her face and looked over to see her parents standing at the bottom of the stairs. Her mother had a robe half on, and her father was only in his pajama pants, his face nearly purple. She felt her heart drop to the floor.

 

"Mum. Dad. I …"

 

"Get out of my house." Ron Weasley barreled forward, and for the first time in her life, Rose saw what people must have seen in him when he had been an Auror. He was terrifying. He grabbed Rowan by the shoulder of his jacket and dragged him to the front door, slamming it behind him as Hermione wrapped her arms around her daughter's shaking body.

 

"I'm so sorry," Rose cried into her shoulder. "I thought - I didn't - I loved him." Her mother pulled her down onto the couch, not letting her go for a second.

 

"I'm going to kill him, Hermione," her father snarled as he came back into the living room.

 

"You're not helping, Ronald."

 

"I'll help you." Rose heard Hugo tell their father quietly, and she laughed between her sobs.

 

"Maybe Rose wants me to kill him."

 

"Maybe Rose would like you to go make us all some tea," her mother said in the tone she reserved for requests that were really orders. Rose heard her father and Hugo leave the living room, the elder Weasley mumbling about owling Oliver Wood.

 

"Rose," her mother said softly when her sobs had turned into occasional whimpers. She sat up, looking into her mother’s face for the first time. Hermione looked pained. "I'm so sorry, honey."

 

"Why would he do that, Mum?"

 

"He's a boy. They are stupid, and he's still young. You're both still so young," Hermione told her with sadness in her eyes. 

 

"You and dad," Rose insisted. Her parents had been just a little older than her when they had started dating. Her father had always insisted that they had been in love forever. 

 

"Your father and I were lucky and very unlucky. We had to grow up so fast, and I don't want that for you. I don't want that for Hugo. You don't need to be in a hurry, love." 

 

"I just thought this was it, but something kept telling me that I shouldn't, and I did it anyway. I … I can't believe it." She felt so stupid, like a child. 

 

"I'm so sorry. I wish I could take this pain for you." Her mother brushed a gentle hand through her hair. 

 

"I should have trusted myself. I was so dumb."

 

"No. Rose you are a very smart girl, and your brain knew something your heart didn't want to admit." Her mother kissed her forehead and held her hand in hers. "I wish I could tell you differently, but it’s going to hurt for a long time."

 

"Tea’s ready," Hugo told them quietly, coming back around the corner. The pair of them walked arm in arm to the kitchen and sat at their small table they used when it was just the four of them. Ron and Hugo had pulled out the chess board and a pile of treats. Rose took a chocolate frog as she sat down, and her Dad handed her a tea cup.

 

"Alright, Mums the victor from last round, so it's Mum and Hugo first go of it," Ron said pulling their respective chess sets down from the shelves they lived on. Hugo lined up his pieces as he ate a licorice rope, and Hermione let Ron set up her players as she always did. When he was done, he squeezed her hand. "Get him, honey," he told her, and then he took his place across from Rose.

 

Rose had watched her parents and Hugo and was truly grateful, for the first time in her life, for each of them. They had just found out that she slept with her boyfriend by waking up in the middle of the night to her screaming about him cheating on her, and the three of them were going to stay up with her, eat junk food, and play her favorite game. In that moment, she had realized there was no other family in the world she would rather belong to.

 

Months later in her dorm and alone, Rose could only cry and wish for the comfort of her mother holding her again. It wasn't fair. None of it was fair. Her heart being broken, or the fact that her boyfriend cheated on her, or losing her virginity to an arse, or being attracted to Malfoy, or Aaron asking her to Hogsmeade, especially if front of everyone, or somehow everyone knowing that she and Rowan had broken up even though she had barely told anyone, or everyone guessing way too close to the truth why it had happened. It all sucked.

 

When the knock came on her door, she didn't want to move. She wanted to close her eyes, bury her head, and pretend like everything wasn't falling apart in the real world. Instead, she sat up, trying to prepare herself for whichever friend was trying to lure her out. That was when she realized the knocking was coming from behind the portrait of the Ravenclaw Head Girl and not from the doorway. The girl was looking behind her. As Rose sat there staring, she turned back to face the bed. "Is he the reason you're crying?" she asked Rose. Was he? In the grand scheme of things, Scorpius' words were only the very tip of what was bothering her, but did she want to see him right now?

 

"Sort of," Rose mumbled, pulling herself off the bed.

 

"Perhaps, he's come to apologize."

 

Rose snorted at that. She couldn't remember a single time that Scorpius had ever apologized to her without being forced to by a teacher. "Fat chance of that. Sapientia."

 

The portrait swung open to reveal Scorpius Malfoy, hand raised, looking concerned.

 

XXX

 

Scorpius could immediately tell that Rose had been crying. Her hair was flying everywhere, and her cheeks seemed blanched next to her red, swollen eyes. He was surprised she'd even opened the door in the state she was in. In six years, he had never seen her like this, not even once.

 

"What?" she snapped at him, her hand resting on the edge of the portrait like she wanted to slam it shut in his face.

 

"I-I-" What did he want? He didn't really even know for sure. He hadn't been able to stop thinking about her face after he'd made that comment about Rowan. He would never have said it if he thought it was true. Honestly, he'd imagined that she had broken things off with Rowan after finally realizing he was a prat. "What happened with you and Rowan?"

 

"Are you serious?" She glared at him, starting to swing the portrait shut.

 

"Rose” - he stuck out a hand, stopping it - "Please." She let him hold the door open while she stared at him for a full minute and, finally, let out a sigh.

 

"He was cheating on me." It was the first time she had told anyone, outside of her family, who hadn't needed to be told. Alice and Albus didn't even know what had really happened.

 

"He's a bloody idiot." It tumbled out of his mouth without thought or plan. What fucking dolt would give up Rose Weasley? She was beautiful, smart, great at Quidditch, daughter of two-thirds of the Golden Trio, and she was fucking going places. Sure, she could be kind of awful and smug when it came to him, but she generally didn't show that side to other people. Rowan Wood was clearly the dumbest bloke to come out of Hogwarts ever.

 

"Well, apparently you thought it was due because I spend too much time reading," she snapped, but even this didn’t carry its usual sting.

 

"I didn't mean that. I would never have said if I realized what an idiot he was. I was... just... was…"

 

"Jealous?" she finished when he seemed unable. He just stared at her feet.

 

"I didn't like Aaron bloody Boot fucking snogging you." Scorpius looked up, his eyes flashed with annoyance.

 

"He didn't snog me. He kissed my cheek once and walked away. You don't have any claim over me just because you kissed me a couple times."

 

"I know. I'm really sorry." They were both quiet again. Just when he was wondering if she was going to try to shut the door on his face again, Rose stepped forward and shut the portrait behind her, blocking the girl inside of it from hearing her.

 

"I don't want to kiss him," she said quietly.

 

"Do you want to kiss me?" He stepped forward as he spoke.

 

"Yes, but …" she trailed off. He put one hand on the wall behind her, just above her shoulder. The other he placed on her hip. He leaned down slowly, giving her plenty of time to push him away, but she never did. "I don't understand this," she told him.

 

"Me either." He touched her nose with his, and it was cold from crying. He had caused that. "I'm sorry. I'm an idiot, too." When his lips finally, softly touched hers he could taste salt on them from her tears. Rose put a hand on each side of his hips, pulling him closer, and he pressed her against the wall as he brushed his lips against hers, sending shivers down her body. What kind of prat would give this up? He felt her sigh faintly beneath him, her breath tickling his lips. She felt incredible against him.

 

Rose pushed harder against his lips, her hands moving up his body. He moved his hand to slide behind her neck, pulling her into him. His body had started to slowly burn, and as Rose pushed her hips into his it exploded into an inferno. He moaned into her mouth, not giving a shit if she knew how much she affected him, how easily she made him crazy. He needed this, his body against her, her hands pulling him closer, her lips eagerly responding to his.

 

"Please don't tell me we can't keep doing this," he begged after he broke their kiss to breathe.

 

"It doesn't seem like I have much choice. You just keep snogging me anyway." She grinned up at him.

 

"Thank Merlin." His lips crashed down on hers, and his mind lost any thoughts outside of snogging her properly.

 

XXX

 

Hermione arrived exactly on time for lunch which put her on edge. She liked to be early for everything. She'd been busy at work, and she'd even considered canceling. Ron had seemed particularly put out when the invitation came this time, but she'd accepted like she always did. She couldn't ignore him. It wasn't in her nature to forget people she cared about.

 

"Name." The hostess looked up at her.

 

"Granger." They always used her maiden name and met at a muggle restaurant. It was just easier. His wife knew, and her husband knew, and other than that, the Wizarding world didn't need to know.

 

"Right this way." Hermione followed her back to the private room she knew the restaurant would have and smiled when she saw Draco stand as she approached. There was wine and food already waiting for her.

 

"Draco," she said softly.

 

"Hermione." He enveloped her in his arms, holding her tight for a long minute, and then kissed her cheek. The tall, blonde man pulled out her chair, and she sat down across from his seat. "How are you?"

 

"Busy." She picked up the wine glass he had ordered for her and sipped at it. "I'm finally presenting my new house-elf law proposal to the Wizengamot next month."

 

"I heard. I'll be there." He picked up his wine and took a drink as well.

 

"I would hope so," she laughed. "I'm counting on your vote."

 

"We'll see how I like the proposal." He smiled, but his mischievous grin didn't make it to his eyes.

 

"You'll like it. You practically helped me write it when we were nineteen.” The pair of them had spent hours in that library together between their dormitories. He had a knowledge of house-elves that came with being a rich pureblood from an old family. The knowledge he had shared with her had been pivotal. She would never have gotten to this point without it. She pushed that out of her mind to focus on whatever was bothering him and put her hand on top of his. "What's wrong?"

 

Draco sighed and shook his head. "I was always awful at keeping things from you."

 

"Tell me. You wouldn't have invited me to lunch if you didn't want to."

 

"It's my mother." He coughed, she supposed to cover up the tremor of emotion that had stung at the end of his words, but she heard it anyway.

 

"What is it?"

 

"She's dying. That's the first time I said that out loud." He took his hand from her and took another drink of his wine. "My mother is dying, and there is nothing I can do about it."

 

"I'm so sorry." She didn't know what else to say. That one year they had spent becoming friends had been so eye opening for her. She had learned things about him and his family that she would never have imagined; his mother's love for him, and the fierce way that he reciprocated it, had been one of the first.

 

"I haven't told Scorpius. I don't even know how. I don't want to tell him until we can be together, and I can do it in person, but I don't want to lie to him."

 

"It sounds like he has enough to deal with: Quidditch, Head Boy, Rose."

 

They both laughed loudly at that one. "Do you think the old library will work it's magic again? Make them realize they could be friends if they stop acting like such idiots."

 

"I don't know." Hermione smiled as she shook her head. "I don't know what to think. Rose is so stubborn. I imagine her cooped up in her room never using it because he's there."

 

"Well, I'm sure he'll find another way to drive her crazy."

 

"Don't they always?" Hermione picked up her fork and began to work on her pasta.

 

"If I get one more owl from Longbottom about the pair of them." Draco rolled his eyes.

 

"Neville told me he was going to tell them he'd take their positions away if they were caught fighting,” she told him.

 

"Merlin, they'll be kicked out of the Head Dorms by the end of the week."

 

"Oh, I don't think he will really do it. He's a big softie," she admitted. 

 

"Scorpius seems to like him."

 

"Yes, I could see that."

 

"He actually suggested Scorpius for the job. He's starting after next term ends." Draco had started on his own food, stopping occasionally to sip at his wine.

 

"Scorpius has a job already?" Hermione asked, surprised.

 

"Yes, and don't go mentioning it in front of Astoria; she'll lose her mind, my poor wife." Draco laughed and shook his head. It was one of the things Hermione regretted about the way they had decided to continue their friendship. Hermione rarely got to see or speak with Astoria, but it couldn't be helped now. 

 

At the time of their graduation, Draco had insisted that they keep quiet about their friendship. He was worried about the effect that it would have on them both if it were to come out. For her, it would look bad to be associated with a known Death Eater. For him, it would look like he had only cozied up to her to get in the good graces of the community again. 

 

At this point, so many years later, they still met this way out of habit and comfort. It was easier to not have to explain what Hermione meant to him. She had convinced him that he had a life to live, and it was possible for him to actually do so without being a pariah the rest of his life. He had only been made Head Boy because Potter had offered evidence that kept him out of jail and made him look a little less evil than he felt. McGonagall thought she could spin him as a case for rehabilitation, and she certainly had.

 

"I imagine. I can't believe they are old enough to go out into the world, have jobs, and live without us."

 

"Yeah, we'll see how long that lasts." Draco snorted at the thought of Scorpius living alone. He didn't really expect it to be permanent once he realized he'd have to do his own cleaning and cooking. Magic could only do so much.

 

"What's he going to be doing?"

 

"He's uh … well … going to be studying under Ollivander."

 

Hermione dropped her fork. "Garrick?"

 

Draco scowled at her. "Really, Hermione?"

 

She scooped up her fork. "Well, I'm sorry, but the last time I talked to Garrick, which wasn't that long ago, you still weren't his favorite person."

 

"Well, I won't be working for him. Scorpius is exceptional. Ollivander will be lucky to have him." She could tell from the tense look around his eyes he was worried about this too.

 

"I'm sure he will." She took a bite of her pasta, trying to think of what else she could say to help her friend. "I know Garrick wouldn't take him on unless he was certain, Draco."

 

"I know. I know. What is Rose planning?"

 

"Honestly…" It was her turn to tense. She bit her bottom lip. "I don't know. She won't say what she wants, and I don't know if it's because she's scared we won't support her, or she just doesn't know. And then there was this terrible thing with her boyfriend..." Hermione waved her hand as if she push all of it away.

 

"What happened?"

 

"He was cheating on her. He came to the house drunk in the middle of the night to tell her and woke us all up. I'm pretty sure Rose was nearly planning a wedding," she told him sadly. 

 

"Teenage boys are dogs."

 

"Well that one certainly is, but I don't know. I think mine is pretty good, and yours seems to have promise." She grinned at him, and he laughed again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading. I would love to know what you think of this chapter.   
> XOXO  
> Meg


	5. Chapter Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading. I would love to know what you think of this chapter.   
> XOXO  
> Meg

Chapter Four

 

Four days. That was how long she had lasted from telling him she couldn't get involved with him to the day she started snogging him and couldn't stop. It was surreal, and weird, and amazing.

 

Thursday morning, they had Transfiguration, which was Rose's best subject. She successfully turned her desk into a pig and back again within ten minutes of getting her instructions from Professor Kraven. Scorpius took three times as long, and his pig still had a slight wood grain pattern engraved in the pink of its skin. Rose had smirked at him as she effortlessly displayed her skills for him - to rub it in his face of course - over and over.

 

Thursday night, Scorpius had Quidditch Practice, and Rose had her first team meeting. The Ravenclaw team hadn't changed from the year before. They had Lorcan and Lysander Scamander as Beaters, Alice, Aaron, and Eben Desford as Chasers, Carter Spinnet as Seeker, and her as Keeper. They were a well oiled machine by now, and had even won the House Cup last year. All four houses seemed to have put together amazing teams this year, and several promising new players had stepped up to fill the empty spots left by graduates. This year, Aaron was desperate to hold on to their reign and leave Hogwarts as two time Captain of the champion team.

 

Rose was competitive, and she loved Quidditch, so this was quite all right with her, but she wasn't quite as crazy as Aaron, so she was happy to have him as Captain. She listened to Aaron lecture them in the corner of the Ravenclaw common room for nearly an hour with Alice at her side and gave him her full attention. He handed out playbooks to them all and chose several to highlight and display as their key moves for the season. He assigned them homework of memorizing the first fifteen plays by practice that Saturday and handed them out practice and game schedules for the year.

 

As she was leaving to head up with Alice for the night, Aaron approached them. Alice gave her a questioning glance, and Rose waved at her, letting her it was okay to head up alone. 

 

"Hey, Rose. I just wanted to make sure you were feeling better," Aaron said, once Alice had started up the stairs. 

 

"What?" She forgot for a moment that she was supposed to have been sick the day before. "Oh, yeah. I'm much better."

 

"Good. I was worried about you." He reached up to her face and moved a curl behind her ear.

 

"No need to worry." She wanted to want to be here, to be able to let Aaron try to take her to Hogsmeade, but she didn't want either of those things. She wanted the fire that Scorpius made her feel. She wanted someone that wouldn't expect a relationship. There was no way she had anything to give to someone like Aaron right now - someone who wanted to woo her, and buy her butterbeer, and hold her hand in The Three Broomsticks while they talked about their futures. She needed Scorpius who was nothing short of awful but wouldn't expect anything outside of her snogging him.

 

"Okay, well, maybe we can sit together at breakfast tomorrow? Have that chat we talked about yesterday?"

 

"Oh, Aaron, I thought about it, and I just don't think I can date right now. I'm still not really feeling up to it. I'm sorry." She tried to be nice and spoke softly so that no one else in the common room could overhear her, but she saw his face fall as she let him down.

 

"Okay, yeah, I get it."

 

"Thanks, Aaron. I-I think you're doing a great job with the team."

 

"Thanks, Rose." He reached out and squeezed her hand and walked over to where Alvin Davies and the twins were playing exploding snap. She felt terrible as she made her way up the tower. She didn't like disappointing Aaron, but she didn't want to lead him on, and the truth was, she didn't want to date him, or anyone, right now. She wanted to get through this year, and figure out who in the world she was, and then maybe she could think about dating again.

 

She stopped at the 7th year girls common room and found it full. Alice was emptying her bag from the day, her playbook on her bed, and Tamsyn was painting Poppy's nails. "So, did you let him down easy?" Alice asked her as she closed the door.

 

"I tried." Rose dropped her bag by the door and went to sit on Poppy's empty bed.

 

"Who are we turning down?" Tamsyn asked with big eyes.

 

"I bet it was Aaron. Why in the world would you turn him down?" Poppy looked at her suspiciously.

 

"I'm still not ready to date," Rose told them, feeling like a broken record. "I was with Rowan for so long, and I just can't really imagine being with anyone else yet."

 

"Maybe if you just gave it a try?" Alice suggested.

 

"No." Rose shook her head. "I really don't want to right now. Maybe I'll change my mind, but I don't think I will, not for awhile."

 

"I wish Aaron would ask me to Hogsmeade," Poppy told them and waggled her eyebrows. "He sure does know how to ride that broom." All four of them laughed at this, and Tamsyn let out an "Amen."

 

"He is quite nice to look at," Rose told them. "He definitely has that going for him."

 

"What about you, Alice?" Rose asked, remembering her talk with Scorpius about Al.  
"Oh … no one here." She shrugged and Rose bit her lip, considering the words forming in her head for a moment and then, she decided to let them out.

 

"Scorpius thinks you should go with Albus." There was silence as three heads turned to stare at her. Alice's mouth fell open.

 

"What?"

 

"We had a row about it." This seemed to appease Tamsyn and Poppy as they stopped staring at her as if she had admitted to having private talks about her friends personal lives with Scorpius Malfoy. "He thinks you should go with Al if you want to."

 

"Oh. I … well …"

 

"Would you want to?" Tamsyn and Poppy stared at Alice now with Rose eyeing her closely as well.

 

"Well … I …"

 

"You totally do," Poppy said, her eyes growing large.

 

"You snogged his brother all last year!"

 

"Not all last year." Alice defended. "It was just a few times, and it didn't mean anything to him."

 

"But now you might like Al?" Rose asked, raising an eyebrow.

 

"I … may … might think so." There were squeals then, and Rose was embarrassed to admit that one of them may have come from her. "You don't you think it's weird? I did snog his brother, and who even knows if he likes me."

 

"Me! I know! I'm one of his best mates. Why does no one ever remember that Al and I are actually friends?!" Rose said crossing her arms.

 

"Maybe because he's always with Malfoy," Tamsyn suggested, "who you hate."

 

"Back to Al!" Poppy demanded. "Who cares about the other crap, what did Al say about Alice?" Three sets of eyes found her.

 

"He really likes you, a lot." Rose watched a hesitant grin slide into place on Alice's face, and she couldn't help but smile too. "Be careful with him. He's important to me."

 

"I will," Alice promised. As Rose said goodnight and shut the door behind her, Alice was still staring off at the wall, thinking hard about something.

 

XXX

 

Scorpius hated Albus. He had put them through the hell of trying out new Chasers only to decide to put the other Cross kid on the team. Scorpius was tired, gross, and annoyed by the time he had been allowed to leave the Pitch. He had stood in the shower for a good twenty minutes before he actually got around to actually starting to wash and work towards getting out. He still wanted to get started on the essay meant to accompany that day's practical Transfiguration lesson, which he had clearly not mastered, and so he headed to his room and through to the Library.

 

The first thing he noticed upon entering was Rose sitting in his green chair waiting for him. She was flipping through something that looked like a Quidditch playbook. "Going to share the Ravenclaw plans with me? Not that I'm complaining, but I did not expect that particular perk." He dropped his bag on the table, and she glared at him jokingly.

 

Rose tapped the book with her wand, and it glowed for a moment. "I'd like to see you try," she told him with a mischievous grin. "In fact, it might be the best thing I've seen all day."

 

"I think I'll pass." He didn't even want to know what she had done to the book and what it would do to him if he touched it. As he walked over to her, he asked, "So why are in my chair?"

 

"I didn't see your name on it." She stood, making a show of looking around at the chair.

 

"You're a smartass." He wrapped his arms around her waist.

 

"And you're a prat. You just want me to admit I was waiting for you after my meeting." Rose put her hands on his chest and pushed him towards the chair. The back of his legs hit the seat, and he let himself fall into it.

 

"And? Were you waiting for me?" He smirked as she climbed into his lap.

 

"What do you think?" And then she was snogging him, showing him an entirely different set of skills than the ones she had been showing off in Transfiguration. He ran his hands up her back, into her hair, and back down to cup her arse as she pushed her hips down into his and made him crazy. Her lips ran down his jaw and onto his neck, and he didn't care that he was breathing heavy, or that she could clearly feel him hard against her. They sat there, desperately touching and tasting for twenty minutes before they had to reluctantly pull apart to go do their Heads Rounds for the night. Scorpius had tried to convince her to skip, well he was mostly joking, but she wouldn't hear of it.

 

XXX

 

On Friday, they had Charms together in which they were very well behaved and listened to the lecture with rapt attention. Scorpius spent his morning break talking Quidditch strategy with Albus in the Slytherin Common Room, and Rose spent hers in the library with Alice, who may have been having a panic attack about the amount of homework she had been assigned. Alice was only taking one less class than Rose, and she was bogged down as well. Rose was only too happy to actually finish that Transfiguration essay she had kept Scorpius from the night before.

 

After lunch, they had Herbology, which was easily one of their favorite subjects. Headmaster Longbottom still taught the N.E.W.T level courses despite hiring a new Herbology teacher for the O.W.L.S and below levels. After Herbology, Albus and Alice had astronomy and Scorpius and Rose had each vanished to their rooms. They met in the library and this time, Scorpius pinned her against the wall with enthusiasm, claiming her mouth within moments. "Merlin, Weasley," he moaned into her, running his hands up the sides of her body. "You're driving me fucking mad."

 

"I didn't do anything," she said defensively, and he nearly snarled into her neck.

 

"You're in all my damn classes, and now that I've tasted you, I can’t stop."

 

"Well, you will have to stop. This isn't going past graduation."

 

"Fine," he growled, biting at the soft skin where her neck met her shoulder.

 

"And, we're not having sex," she nearly whispered, ashamed to say it out loud.

 

Scorpius pulled back from her, frowning. "Other stuff?"

 

"Other stuff eventually, as allowed, but no sex." All she could think about was Rowan and how she had felt when he had betrayed her. She had been so used, so violated, and there was no way she was going to feel that way for sodding Scorpius Malfoy. She couldn't let anyone make her feel that way again, which was a big part of why she definitely wouldn't be dating anyone, or sleeping with, anyone anytime soon. She would do this, snog Scorpius in the library, letting him help her to relieve the stress of so many things, and go about her life without having to worry about anyone hurting her like that for now.

 

"Deal. No snogging other people. If you want to date someone you tell me, and we end it." He didn't want to have to see her kissed by idiots like Aaron Boot or run into her on a date in Hogsmeade. He was jealous of things he considered his, and for the next nine months, or until she told him otherwise, Rose Weasley was his, not that he would ever say that to her and not expect to get slapped.

 

"Deal. I already told Aaron I couldn't go to Hogsmeade with him," she said back, pulling him into her. Her tongue tracing his bottom lip, and he let out an embarrassing moan before he pushed harder against her, claiming her mouth.

 

That mouth was, finally, all his.

 

XXX

 

Over the next few weeks, the seventh years fell into a routine. Rose and Scorpius had taken on so much that they often were holed up in their library. They spent the majority of this time actually studying, writing papers, and practicing spell work they hadn't quite mastered in class. It was a small minority of this time that they spent losing themselves in each other in one of the chairs or pressed up against a wall. In fact, they would both say it was too much of a minority if asked, but they wouldn't be, of course, because no one realized that the two had started using each other.

 

In class, they kept their interactions to a minimum. They still barbed at each other with words, but they didn't let it go further than that. Scorpius never mentioned Rowan again, even in private, and Rose stayed clear of mentioning his family. Even she had to admit that Scorpius's plan of snogging to relieve the tension did seem to actually help them not want to kill each other in class. In the library, they rarely talked to each other.

 

To Rose, it felt like freedom. She no longer really worried about having classes with Scorpius, and she still got to act on her body's attraction to him without actually having to think about any other kind of feelings for him. To Scorpius, it was shrouded in constant disbelief. Every time she came back to him to help her relieve some tension after finishing an essay, or a three hour long Saturday Quidditch practice, Scorpius couldn't believe that he was actually allowed to touch her, to act on the lust that had consumed him for the past year after smelling her lavender shampoo in the Potions classroom.

 

It was the first week of October when they finally took their … fun … past kissing and roaming hands. Scorpius had been wanting to make a move, to push limits to the other stuff as allowed point, but he was too worried about fucking up what he was already getting.

 

They had Ancient Runes on Wednesday afternoons right before dinner, and that prat Colin Creevey was in it with them, but not Albus or Alice. Rose and Colin had always been Ancient Runes partners. Harry had known his Uncle, or whoever he was named after, and his Dad was friends with Rose's parents. This pairing had never really bothered Scorpius in the past. Colin was always polite, friendly, and not at all flirtatious with Rose, but apparently that had changed when her relationship with Rowan had ended. Scorpius had witnessed first hand Colin's attempts to get into Rose's good graces, while she remained oblivious.

 

The first week of October, however, there was no more being oblivious. At the end of class, while the six advanced students were packing their bags and chatting, Scorpius tried to hear their conversation.

 

"... I know you might not be ready, but I wanted to try at least." Colin reached out and brushed his knuckles against hers.

 

Rose blushed and grinned, the color in her cheeks a soft pink. Scorpius was watching her out of the corner of his eye, wondering what the hell Creevey was after.

 

"Yeah. I think this time I'm just going to go solo. I'm just, well, It wasn't a ... " Scorpius saw her frown, her eyes losing a bit of their sparkle. "It was a really bad break up and I'm not ready."

 

Colin gripped her hand and squeezed it. "I totally get it. Let me know if that changes. Until then, I'll just consider myself lucky to get to sit next to you in Ancient Runes." 

 

Scorpius felt his blood boil as Creevey, that stupid, sneaking, Gryffindor raised her hand to his lips and kissed it before walking away. This left Scorpius and Rose in the room with Professor Babbling. Scorpius waited for another minute and then left the room. Rose followed him, and they walked one in front of the other for a few minutes, until they were alone in a corridor where Scorpius finally grabbed her hand and pulled her into a - "Broom closet?" Rose said with her eyebrow raised once he shut the door. They both dropped their bags on the ground.

 

"Would you prefer I do this in the hallway?" he asked, and she shook her head. He pulled her into him, and their lips touched in a familiar wave of fire and a shiver ran through his body.

 

"I would never have guessed you for the jealous type before this," she said against his mouth.

 

"I don't know what you're talking about." He trailed his lips down her chin to her neck, his hands roaming under her robes, trying to feel the shape of her beautiful body hiding underneath them.

 

"You being jealous of Colin asking me to Hogsmeade just like you were jealous when Aaron did the same. I know you were listening." Her voice had a breathy quality, and she sighed softly as he sucked at her skin.

 

"You said no. Nothing to be jealous of."

 

"Well, then why are you suddenly pulling me into a broom closet, something you've never done? We should both be heading to dinner."

 

"But, I wanted you now," he whispered, and remembering Colin's lips on her hands, her blush as he asked her out, gave him the burst of bravery he needed to push those limits he'd been wanting to test. Scorpius moved his hand up her leg, pulling her skirt with it. "More of you," he whispered. "I want what you needed after you smelled me in that potion. I want you to have it with me, not with that fucking idiot in the changing rooms,” he growled, and he felt her freeze under him.

 

"What?"

 

"I … oh, fuck."

 

Rose pulled back from him, his hand falling away from her skirt. "How did you …"

 

"I went down to the pitch to fly after … I needed to distract myself, so I wouldn't hunt you down and snog you. I needed …"

 

"I know what you needed," she said sadly. "It was the first time I, that we, went that far."

 

"What?" He had never suspected this. Not ever had he thought that he might have caused her to cross that line with Rowan. "Wait. You … went to him because …"

 

"Because I wanted you, and he was my boyfriend."

 

"And …"

 

"And, I couldn't stop thinking about you the entire time he was touching me." She stared at the floor as she talked, not willing to watch his face.

 

"You … I just walked in and left once I realized. I wanted to be the one touching you. To know what it felt like to make you feel that way."

 

Rose moved back against him, knocking over several brooms in the process. Scorpius immediately moved his hands under her skirt, pulling at the lace that lined her knickers as she kissed him with more passion than she ever had before. The fire burning through him lit every nerve with need. He felt her pushing at his robes, trying to remove them, but he wasn't willing to let go of her to allow that. He moved his hand down below the lace and felt her push against his hand, eager for him to touch her. When his fingers finally found her core, she was already wet, and he grew hard as he slipped one finger inside of her and then another.

 

"Yes." She moved her mouth to his ear. "Scorpius," she moaned as he moved his fingers in and out of her. His heart was racing, his cock aching against his pants. He could hear every perfect sound she was making as he felt her tight and hot and wet around his fingers. A moment later, his used his thumb to find the sweet nub at the top of her perfect lips. The moment he touched it, she leaned further into him, seeming to lose the ability to fully support herself. "Oh." Her breath was hot against his ear, her hands clutching him.

 

"I've wanted to do this for so long," he told her, his words forced out between his heavy breaths. He couldn't believe that Rose Weasley was writhing against him as his fingers were buried inside of her over and over, and his thumb began to swirl small circles around her clit.

 

"Me too," she moaned again, unable to believe how good he could make her feel with just his fingers. Her entire body was clenching, trying to hold on, trying to enjoy what he was doing as long as possible. She tried to think of something, anything other than what he was making her feel so she could make it last longer, but it was hopeless. It was mere minutes before she bit down on his robes to muffle her cries as her body shook, and she seized around his fingers. When she finally stopped, he held her for another few minutes until she could stand on her own again. She kissed his neck as he held her there, trying to show him in some small way how good she felt.

 

He helped her back to her feet, and she grabbed her wand to clean them both. The next few minutes of fixing clothes, grabbing bags, and taming hair were awkward and sweet and bumbling. She bumped her head into his chin, and he scratched her forehead as he tried to flatten a curl. They were both blushing and looking away by the time they were situated. They stood there in the semi-dark and waited for other to speak.

 

Rose was the first. She leaned in, kissed him, and told him. "I'm glad you spied on me."

 

"Peeping Tom thing turns you on?"

 

"No," she smiled. "I would never have told you otherwise. Any of that."

 

"I'm glad you did." He didn't even know what to think about what she had revealed, but he was incredibly glad that Creevy had made him angry enough to tell her what he had seen.

 

"Let's go eat dinner." She opened the door a crack and peered out to find the corridor still empty. She walked out, followed by him a few minutes later. She was just walking out of sight as he closed the door.

 

He stared after her, letting his body fall back against the door of the closet. He was still hard, and his mind was racing, trying to process how he felt about what had just happened. She had wanted him so badly that she had let Rowan touch her like that for the first time. He wished she had just come to him then, let him make her feel that way from the get-go. He wished Rowan had never had the chance to cheat on her.

 

XXX

 

Two days later, Rose spent their long afternoon break in their library. She was trying to brew a potion for the third time, and she could already tell something was wrong. She didn't understand why, or what in the world she was doing wrong, but something wasn't right. She had followed the instructions perfectly two separate times before this only to have her potion not quite right both times. She was furious.

 

She had her hair pulled up in a crazy bun, red curls poking every which way, and she didn't even care that she could feel Scorpius glancing at her every so often. She didn't care what he needed or wanted right now, she needed to figure out this stupid potion. Every year, there was one or two like this one, potions that refused to brew the way they should. She would do everything exactly as she had learned it, and it would fall short of what her book said perfection should look, or smell, like. Scorpius however would end up with perfection bubbling in front of him, taunting her.

 

"Rose." She looked up at Scorpius. He had books open all around him, animagi in various stages staring back.

 

"What?" She snapped and immediately regretted it. "Sorry." They had been trying to be nice to each other, but especially these last two days. It seemed odd to be at ends when they were so intimate now.

 

"It's okay. Maybe I could help, though."

 

"I don't see how. I've done it right. Three times. It's just not turning out." She flipped through the pages of the book on the table in front of her as if looking for a flashing paragraph that would contain her mistake.

 

"The recipe is wrong." He stood up and began walking towards her.

 

"What?" She looked at him in disbelief.

 

"My father told me."

 

"Your father?" Still disbelief.

 

"You know my father can do magic and is actually good at things. Our parents were heads together."

 

"Oh …" She flushed. "I always thought that was … well … my dad said …"

 

"It was a publicity stunt?" Scorpius shrugged. "It was. McGonagall used his success for years to support keeping Slytherin house intact and for reforming the children of Death Eaters."

 

"Oh. Then …"

 

"He was still very smart. Without Voldemort, he could have been Head Boy without the need for it to be a publicity stunt. He was excellent at Potions. The Potions Master was his godfather."

 

"Severus Snape was your father's godfather?" Scorpius nodded.

 

"Wow. I never knew that."

 

"Do you not read about the war?" Scorpius looked at her in surprise. Rose read everything about everything.

 

"No. I will one day I'm sure, but anything I want to know I ask my parents about, and they tell me."

 

"Well, do you want help or not?"

 

"Help. Yes." She turned back to the table and felt him come up behind her, his front against her back. His body against hers made her temperature rise, and she felt her cheeks flush. She was very happy he couldn't see them.

 

He slid his hand down her arm taking hers which was wrapped around her spoon. "Three turns counter clockwise."

 

"But …"

 

"Trust me," he told her and led her hand in making the three turns. The pulled out the spoon together, set it on the table, and he glanced at her book. "You should add billywig sting slime after it simmers for fifteen minutes."

 

"This doesn't even call for billywig," She said, turning to face him. This meant that her front was now very much against his front, and she was looking up into his gray eyes. "But, I'll trust you." She added quietly.

 

"Sometimes Potions is about more than what the recipe tells you. You have to remember what the ingredients do and make changes to get the potion to turn out the way it truly should." He was so damn grateful to his father in that moment for never tiring of him sending owl after owl picking his brain about potions ingredients. It was all worth it for this moment.

 

"That's crazy. Why wouldn't they just write it the way it's suppose to be?" Scorpius loved the way her forehead crinkled together as she thought about the lazy authors of the textbook.

 

"Because the people that write the textbook clearly are not Severus Snape."

 

"Clearly." She thought about kissing him, well really she had been thinking about it nonstop since he got up to come help her, but she controlled herself. "I should go grab my billywig," she told him, putting her hands on his chest.

 

"Yeah." He backed away, and she walked past him to her room. She rummaged through her potions supplies displayed on one of her bookshelves. The billywig was sorted appropriately with the b's.

 

When she returned to the library, Scorpius was still watching her potion. He stood with her while they waited and then watched as she added the billywig. Her dark green potion lightened two shades. "It actually worked." She stared at him dumbfounded. That was exactly the shade it should be at this point.

 

"Of course, it did. I told you it would."

 

"I know, but …"

 

"Maybe we're a better team than you thought." He winked at her and moved to go back to his seat.

 

"Scorpius." She pulled out her wand and waited for him to look at her. "When you're doing inanimate to animate transformations you have to turn your wrist in while you flick." She demonstrated the movement for him, one that she normally did so quickly no one would realize.

 

"I'll remember that." He grinned and tried the move himself. She smiled at him and then looked back at her cauldron. It was perfect. She turned down the temperature and began reading ahead for their next Potions lesson while she waited for it to cool so she could move onto the next step.

 

About ten minutes later, Scorpius cleared his throat, and she looked up at him. He was staring at her, looking nervous. "Yes?" she asked him.

 

"Was that the only time you thought about me? When you were with him in the changing rooms."

 

"No," she said softly, and that time there was no containing the deep blush that spread across her face at the many times she had thought about him with Rowan. She looked back down at her paper and away from Scorpius's wide grin.


	6. Chapter Five

Chapter Five

 

After that first week in October, Rose and Scorpius often worked on their homework together. It had only taken six years, but Rose finally realized that they had distinct strengths, and she might actually be able to learn something from partnering with him. He helped her with her Potions, and she helped him with Transfiguration. In everything else they were of fairly equal ability, but even in these areas, they still picked up on different things and had knowledge to share.

 

Every once in awhile, when Scorpius would figure something out before her, he would get that stupid little grin she had come to know and hate so much. She was often tempted to slam her book shut, tell him off, and stomp off to her room. Actually, she did do that, twice, but she was trying really hard not to do it, which must count for something. She was able to accept his occasional ability to best her better than she ever had before, which really meant she wasn't sending any unfortunate spell work his way.

 

Rose still went to the main school library with her girlfriends once or twice a week, but it was so easy to grab her things and slip off to her and Scorpius's library that she found she had to be intentional about spending time with them outside of class. She was looking forward to Hogsmeade weekend because, so far, none of them were going with a date. It was going to be just the girls for a whole day, and Rose couldn't wait.

 

By the fourth week of October, the Head Girl and Boy were both running on fumes. Between Quidditch Practice, rounds, and classes where their homework load was only going up, they were struggling to fit it all in, let alone fit in time to snog or do much more than that. They were both tense, tired, and cranky, and it needed to stop. The past weekend had been spent on homework, and Monday was ridiculous, and before they could even blink it was Tuesday. They only had short breaks on Tuesday morning and afternoon, which meant they spent them with friends. Tamsyn had asked Rose to work on Defense with her that particular Tuesday, and Scorpius had worked on Charms with Euan.

 

After dinner, Scorpius had walked back to the Dungeons with his friends and dumped his bag on the floor by his bed. He was not studying and neither was Rose. He had decided that while staring at her across the Great Hall at breakfast. He had been fantasizing about what he wanted to do with her, and Albus had caught him staring. "Scor, what the fuck? I thought we talked about this."

 

"What?" Scorpius had eloquently replied, torn out of his daydream.

 

"You were staring at her." Albus didn't even turn around. He just pointed his fork over his shoulder in Rose's general direction.

 

"No, I wasn't. I was thinking about my Herbology essay. I can't control where my head looks when I'm zoned out."

 

Albus had rolled his eyes then and spat, "Just keep leaving her alone," and Scorpius had nodded. Not going to happen. Not even a little bit. And, that was how he knew he needed her for more than two minutes here and there before he grabbed her in the middle of the great hall and started snogging her like an animal.

 

When he walked into the library, Rose was already spreading her homework out on the table like they had every night for the past few weeks. He watched her for a minute and admired the sight of her. He loved her hair. He loved the freckles on her cheeks. He loved the way she looked in the Muggle clothes she put on to study. Her jeans hugged her hips and her arse so perfectly, and it made him think inappropriate thoughts immediately every time she came out of her room in them. Most of the time, he still couldn't believe that he got to actually touch her and snog her after wanting to do it so badly all of sixth year.

 

"You need help," Rose told Scorpius, looking up at him standing there with a sideways grin.

 

"Why?" He started walking towards her spot at the table.

 

"You've been staring at me all day."

 

"Yeah, well we've been so damn busy."

 

"I know. And tonight I have …"

 

"Oh, no." He reached the table and pulled at her arms, bringing her up out of her chair. "You need this, too." He kissed her softly ,and she wrapped her arms around his neck, her body moving into his. 

 

"Come to my room," he whispered, pulling back from her for a moment.

 

"Your room?" This was a line they hadn't crossed yet. They had never actually been in a bed together.

 

"Yeah, my room. I want you in my bed. I want to feel you." He moved his hand up under her shirt to make his point. She sighed at the contact.

 

"Do we even know if it will let me in?" She looked over at his room suspiciously as if Professor Longbottom might show up to stand in the doorway and stop them from entering.

 

"No, but I want to try. No more weird chair, wall, or broom closet shit. I want a proper bed and you under me” - His lips touched her ear, and she shivered - "Even if I can't do what I really want to you." Rose shivered at his words. She knew she still didn't want to have sex with Scorpius, but damn did she want to have sex with Scorpius. It was confusing and awful.

 

"Ok." She let him lead her by the hand to his door. He went through first, still holding her hand, and she held her breath for a moment as she stepped over the threshold. Nothing happened. He let go of her hand, took out his wand and tapped the portrait of the Slytherin Head Boy with it. A curtain flowed down from nowhere, covering him, and Scorpius shut the door.

 

"Your room is nice," she said awkwardly, looking around.

 

"Oh, yeah, I'll give you the grand tour later." He put a hand behind her neck and moved closer to her. His lips found hers eagerly, and she clutched at his t-shirt, pulling it up over his head. He followed suit, leaving her shirt somewhere on the floor as he pulled her to his bed. By the time his legs hit the back of the mattress, he had her bra unclasped. They broke apart for a second so she could drop it on the floor, and he pulled her onto his bed, tossing her playfully onto her back.

 

"Fuck," he said, moving to kneel between her legs. He took in the sight of her, half-naked, her perfect breasts uncovered. She blushed and tried to move her hands over her chest. "Don't you dare." He grabbed her hands and pinned them over her head as he leaned over her, using their hands to hold himself up. "You’re so fucking beautiful,” he told her, and his mouth was claimed by hers, her body arching up into him.

 

He fell onto her, careful to situate his weight to the side. He let go of her hands so that his own would be free to touch her skin, feel every inch of her exposed chest, and rub her nipple softly between his fingers while he kissed her neck. She moaned and clutched at his back, scratching him with her nails. It was the perfect amount of pain and pleasure.

 

Rose could feel him hard against her thigh. She wanted to feel him in her hand, to see his face when she held him, stroked him, so she moved her hands down to his belt, fumbling with the clasps for a few moments before it finally broke free. He helped her push his trousers down, and she grabbed either side of his pants. She hesitated for a moment, realizing that Scorpius was about to be completely naked in front of her.

 

"Are you okay?" He asked, putting his hands over hers.

 

"Yeah, just, I never thought I would be getting you naked." She blushed again, something she seemed unable to control around him, and he smiled.

 

"I am looking forward to returning the favor very soon,” he told her with a grin, and she laughed as she pulled down the last bit of cloth he had been wearing and threw it aside. She fell down onto him, kissing him again, letting him roll her underneath him. She felt his hands on the button of her jeans. He popped it open and pulled them down. "Fuck, Rose,” he groaned as he saw her lacy black knickers.

 

"I may have had plans too …" She laughed as she enjoyed the way his eyes took her in as he licked his lips.

 

"Yes." He leaned down and kissed her over the knickers breathing hot air directly over those sweet lips he wanted so damn bad. She moaned and arched again, pressing her core closer to him.

 

"Scor, just take them off." Scorpius stopped with his hands on her knickers and pulled back.

 

"What did you call me?"

 

"Uh … Scor?"

 

"You've never …"

 

"Is this the time for debating what I call you?" She wiggled her hips, and he looked back down at her.

 

"I guess not." He smiled and pulled down her knickers, slowly rolling them down with his hands so he could feel every inch of her legs. In that moment, he struggled to think of anything other than his desire to bury himself inside of her while she called him Scor over and over.

 

She pulled him back up to her face and kissed him. The smell of sandalwood and cinnamon washed over her, arousing her even more. She reached a tentative hand down and wrapped it around him. He made a sound in his throat as she started to slide her hand up and down his shaft. He kissed her, probably trying to hide the moan she could feel escaping his lips as she quickened her pace.

 

Scorpius slid a hand between Rose's legs, his fingers sliding home inside of her. She began to rock against him as he used his thumb to rub those incredible swirls around her clit. "Scor," she purred his name into his mouth as she felt the familiar raging fire inside of her intensify at his movements.

 

"Red," he responded, trying out his nickname for her that she had always hated. She didn't seem to mind at all as she moved against him, biting into his shoulder softly. He grabbed at that fiery red hair with his free hand and gently pulled her up so he could claim her mouth with his. This was the first time anyone had been near his cock in months, a lot of months, and after nearly ten minutes of her playing with him, he was fighting hard not to explode. He needed her to get close, to come, so he could lose it without feeling like a failure.

 

As if she read his mind, Rose let out a soft whimper as her walls started to seize around his fingers. "Oh, mmmm, yes, Scor," she whispered, and he lasted all of another thirty seconds before he was moaning right along with her.

 

Scorpius leaned off the bed to grab his wand and cleaned them both. Rose was lying next to him, her hair flying all over the pillow on that side, her face showing the clear satisfaction. He had given her that look. Scorpius pulled the blanket at the end of his bed up and covered them with it before he laid back as well.

 

"This was the best decision ever," Rose told him.

 

"Yes. Yes, it was." He wanted to grab her, pull her into him and snuggle into her lavender scent, but he wasn't sure how she would feel about that so he settled for laying next to her. "So, Scor?"

 

"It's what your friends call you, isn't it?" She rolled on one side propping her head up with her hand.

 

"Are you saying you want to be my friend?" He said it in an over the top excited voice, but inside his heart skipped a beat. This was new territory.

 

"I, well, I thought maybe we had become friends lately. With everything."

 

"Me too. Is that why you didn't slap me when I called you Red?" He also rolled on his side, facing her.

 

"I … kind of like it." He saw the flush move into her cheeks and he couldn't resist kissing her again, pulling her into him.

 

XXX

 

Three hours later, the pair were walking around the school doing their Heads Rounds. After they had finally made it out of bed, Rose had disappeared up to her room to shower. She had soaked in the water, letting it fall down on her for thirty minutes trying to deal emotionally with what had just happened.

 

She and Scorpius were going to be friends. He had called her "Red," and she had loved it. The zing of annoyance that usually accompanied the nickname had never come when it escaped his lips while he was entangled with her.

 

"Bloody fuck," Rose had said as she sat in the shower, her head falling back against the wall. It wasn't that bad. Being friends was okay. They could still be friends and just mess around on the side, surely. It wouldn't change anything. They would be over at the end of the year, she would finally figure out what the hell she was going to do with her life, and she would forget Scorpius Malfoy had ever made her feel like she needed him like a fucking muggle drug.

 

She cried then.

 

Sitting in the shower, water pouring down at the perfect, never changing temperature, she cried and wished that she had never smelled that stupid Amortentia. It was making her life complicated when she really just wanted it to be easy.

 

She had somehow pulled herself out of the water and gotten dressed, pinning her Head Girl badge on the front of her jumper. What would Professor Longbottom think if he knew what the Head Students had been doing in the Head Boy room that night? Rose felt shame at the betrayal of the Headmaster's trust. She brushed her hair, pulled half of it back in a clip, and went down to find Scorpius for rounds.

 

That led them to wandering the castle, looking for students out of bed. Rose was still thinking about the way he said "Red" and trying not to say or do anything stupid, and Scorpius was being quiet for some reason. She almost didn't want to know.

 

"Is something wrong?" She asked him finally, breaking out of her own daze to find out the cause of his.

 

"Oh, no." He shrugged as they turned towards the Astronomy tower.

 

"You're quiet tonight."

 

"So are you."

 

"I was just … wondering … if … does being friends change what we're doing?" She spoke softly just in case someone was out of bed, listening to her speak to him, which was ridiculous. She tried to make the question sound nonchalant, as if she didn't care what he said back, she just wanted to know.

 

"Yeah. I guess I was wondering the same thing." He started up the stairs, and she followed him, quiet as they made their way to the top. If they were going to find anyone out of bed here it would be there at the top of the tower. When they walked out onto the balcony and didn't find anyone Scorpius continued talking. "Do you have feelings for me? Anything more than lust and friendly whatever?"

 

"No," she told him. She didn't think she was lying. She wanted him. She wanted him bad, but that didn't mean she had those kinds of feelings for him. She definitely didn't feel the way she had ever felt about Rowan.

 

"I don't either." He shrugged, shoving his hands in his pockets. "So, I guess as long as it stays that way …"

 

"It's okay to keep doing this." She moved into him, looping her fingers in his belt loops, pulling his waist against hers as she kissed him softly.

 

"I agree." He moved his hands out of his pockets and put them in the back pockets of her jeans, squeezing her arse as he kissed her back. After a few minutes, she pulled back.

 

"We should get going." She told him, and led the way down the tower again, a grin on her face.

 

Behind them, standing on the Astronomy tower under the invisibility cloak, Alice was still holding one hand over Al's mouth and the other around his chest as he made two fists with his hands. She waited until their best friends were long gone before she released him.

 

"What the fuck was that?" she asked. She didn't really expect a rational answer, but she needed to ask the question anyway.

 

"That fucking traitorous snake." Albus punched the wall of the tower, grabbing at his fist in frustration and pain. "Fuck."

 

"Al!" Alice pulled out her wand and fixed his hand.

 

"I told him to leave her the fuck alone, Alice."

 

"Well, clearly he decided not to listen to you," Alice told him, her annoyance clear in her tone.

 

"He's going to hurt her."

 

"She's technically an adult, Albus. She's got to make her own decisions and you don't get to tell her that one of them can't be Scorpius."

 

"She hates Scorpius!" Albus sputtered as if this was the most obvious thing in the world.

 

"No, she doesn't. She's never really hated him. She was jealous and angry that he was, and is, just as smart as she is. Rose doesn't like sharing."

 

"She just …"

 

"Is a big girl." Alice leaned in, placing her lips on his. "Calm down."

 

"When the fuck did they become friends? Did you hear that prat? He asked her if she had any feelings outside of friendly."

 

"I reckon around the time they stopped being incapable of being in class together without shouting or cursing one another. They haven't been very subtle about the shift." Alice stared down the stairs their friends had taken. "I was starting to wonder what had changed. I guess I know why she's always in that library they share now.

 

"Merlin. He's probably shagging her all over the school and doesn't even have the decency to take her on a real date." Al didn't need the glare Alice gave him to realize he'd fucked up with that one. "Not like us. It's different."

 

"Oh is it? How, Albus Potter, are we different?"

 

"We have the more than 'friendly whatever' feelings." He pulled her into him. "I've been mad about you for ages," he told her softly.

 

"I think we have enough of our own issues to deal with that we shouldn't go stirring up any of theirs."

 

"Just let me write to my parents that were dating. Let me take you to Hogsmeade. James … He's an idiot, and he won't even realize he should be annoyed that his baby brother is snogging the perfect girl he let get away."

 

"Al …" She stared at the floor, but he put a finger under her chin to stop her.

 

"Alice, I told you this summer, I'm never letting you go." He kissed her passionately, trying to show her how much he cared. "I don't care that you snogged James. If I tried to find a witch in this school that hadn't, I would be left with my cousins, and that is decidedly ickier."

 

"I know … but …"

 

"No, but. I want this. You're mine now in the most non-ownership way possible” - she laughed at this - “and I don't care what anyone else thinks." He trailed his lips down her jaw and onto the soft spot on her neck that made her moan.

 

"You’re perfect, Albus Potter." She sighed softly, her eyes closing for a long moment. “I don’t deserve you.”

 

"I know,” he teased. 

 

"Well, except your dumb insistence that Rose needs you to protect her when she clearly doesn't. That could use some work."

 

"I'm still going to punch him in the face. Again."

 

"I guess that's between the two of you. Rose will be bloody pissed at you."

 

XXX

 

Albus knocked on Scorpius's door at eight the next morning. He heard Scorpius's feet shuffling over to the door and, when he opened it, Albus had just enough time to see that he was only half dressed before he pulled his fist back and punched Scorpius in the face.

 

"BLOODY FUCKING FUCK!" Scorpius cried, falling to his knees as blood began to seep between his fingers and onto the floor. "My nose. Fuck." Albus stared down at him and shook his hand, which he thought he might have broken. He almost didn't notice the portrait on the wall to his right swing open, Rose walking into the room with alarm.

 

"Scorpius?" She asked and then her eyes fell on the pair of them. "AL! What did you do to him?" Rose rushed over to Scorpius, pulling her wand out and said, "Episkey," healing his nose.

 

"I fucking punched him in his traitorous snake nose."

 

"What are you talking about?!" Rose shrieked back at him.

 

"I saw you, the two of you, Rose!" Albus shook his wounded fist at her and then grabbed it again as a pain shot through his arm.

 

"Saw us what?" Scorpius asked hesitantly, knowing what was coming.

 

"I saw you bloody snogging last night!"

 

"We … but … that's …"

 

"Took grandpa's cloak for a spin," Scorpius said as Rose sputtered beside him, still holding his arm. He pulled his own wand out of his pocket and cast a silencing charm to keep the words from floating up the stairs to unsuspecting boys in other dorms.

 

"Bloody right I did. Alice and I had to… Fuck…" Albus, Rose, and Scorpius all went wide eyed at that. "Forget I said that! You two are the bloody ones snogging in the astronomy tower when you're supposed to hate each other. I told you to keep your hands off her."

 

"You and Alice," Rose said softly, "she didn't tell me."

 

"Oh does that break your heart, Rose?" Albus said sarcastically. "It must feel something like your two best bloody mates, who claim to hate each other, suddenly shagging and not telling you."

 

"We are not shagging," Scorpius said.

 

Rose stood, walking towards Albus and poking him in the chest. "Oh, fuck you, Albus. I can bloody well shag whoever I want, and you don't get to have anything to say about it. You're my cousin, and my best friend, but you aren't my father or my brother, and I don't need you protecting me because my boyfriend decided to tell me he's a cheating asshole three weeks after we finally shagged. If I want to go shagging Scorpius all over this damn school to make myself feel better, there is nothing you can do about it and punching him in the nose isn't going to stop me."

 

Rose was furious as she stared at him, but Al was looking past her to Scorpius. She turned around and saw his jaw had dropped. In that moment, she realized that neither Albus nor Scorpius had known the details of Rowan's cheating. Albus hadn't even know Rowan cheated for sure, just that he'd really hurt her, and it was over.

 

"Rose,” Scorpius said, and she could tell he was trying to come up with words, put together sentences.

 

"Don't,” she spat behind her as she walked across his room and into the library, slamming the portrait behind her. She finished packing her bag that she had left abandoned on the table when she'd heard Scorpius screaming, and carried it back to her room in Ravenclaw tower. She passed straight through her room and down to the seventh year girl's dorm.

 

The door was closed, but Rose yanked it open and found Alice alone. "How long have you been with Al?" she demanded.

 

Alice crossed her arms and returned Rose's look of indignation. "Seriously? How long have you been with Scorpius?"

 

"I'm not with Scorpius," Rose told her. "We have a mutually beneficial physical relationship. It doesn't mean anything."

 

"It definitely looked like something last night. It made you friends, something you swore up and down would never happen."

 

"And, you and Al?"

 

"This summer. Albus told me how he felt, and we've been basically together ever since. I still feel weird about the James thing, and I don't really want anyone to know yet."

 

"That's dumb. If you both like each other, you should go for it. Scorpius said that, and I told him something along the lines of he was a stupid prat, but I think he's right." Adrenaline was still pumping through her veins, and her words came out fast and passionate.

 

"I know. I'm going to go to Hogsmeade with him."

 

"Good," Rose said loudly, suddenly unsure of what else to say.

 

"So … Scorpius?" Alice sat back down on her bed.

 

"It's … complicated," Rose sighed. "I wouldn't even know where to begin."

 

"I don't have class for two hours. I'm all yours."

 

"Well honestly, I need to tell you about why Rowan and I broke up first, because I just accidentally told Albus and Scorpius." Rose moved onto the bed next to her best friend and began the long overdue story.

 

XXX

 

Later in the day, Albus seemed to have calmed down and had apologized to Rose at lunch for not respecting her right to made her own bad decisions. It had been good enough for her. She hated fighting with him. Rose knew Scorpius was trying to get her alone the rest of the day, and she ignored him. She was putting off whatever he wanted to say, whatever his reaction was to her stupid outburst, and if she could have, she would have avoided it entirely. Telling Alice had been hard enough.

 

She'd gone into much more detail with Alice than she had with the boys. She told her everything. Alice knew about the Amortentia, and what she had done with Rowan after, and how she hadn't been able to stop thinking about Scorpius, and how she'd lost her virginity to Rowan and thought they were in love, and about the night she found out Rowan was shagging other girls three weeks later. Alice had been calm and nodded a lot, and she had hugged Rose, and cried with her, and told her she was going to think about everything Rose had said before she really said anything about the deal she and Scorpius had agreed on.

 

Rose had felt better after telling her everything. It was nice to finally have someone she trusted know what had really happened. Rose had been so embarrassed that she was clearly not enough to keep Rowan around. She didn't want anyone to know that, but she was happy Alice had stumbled into knowing about Scorpius and made it possible for Rose to share. It had been cathartic. She was not expecting her conversation with Scorpius to be cathartic at all.

 

After dinner, she knew she couldn't ignore him anymore. They would have to do their nightly rounds together anyway, and she would much rather have this conversation in private then let him start it while wandering around the halls. Apparently, gits hid in the castle under invisibility cloaks, and you never knew when they were watching you. She dumped her bag on the table and walked over to her blue armchair to sit and wait for him. She'd seen him get up a moment after her, and she knew he was coming.

 

Sure enough, the portrait to his room opened a few minutes later, and he walked in. She watched him drop his bag off at the table, and he moved over to the fireplace nervously. He ran his hand through his hair as he fell into his armchair.

 

"Hey,” she said softly, staring at the fire, avoiding his eyes.

 

"Why didn't you tell me?" he asked her, not bothering to answer her superficial greeting.

 

"I didn't tell anyone. My parents and Hugo knew. They were there when I found out. Plus, we kind of hated each other."

 

"I never hated you," Scorpius told her.

 

"Well, I guess I'm just the terrible person that hated you."

 

"Did you really?"

 

"I don't know. Yes. You were annoying,” she lied.

 

"When did this happen?" His voice was soft, and she hated it. It seemed so intimate.

 

"Three weeks after his graduation." She curled her legs up into her chest and wrapped her arms around them.

 

"He's a fucking dick, Rose. You know that right?"

 

"Of course, I know he's a dick, Scorpius. He cheated on me with I don't even know how many girls who just want him because he got signed to that stupid team."

 

"No, that's not what I mean." Scorpius moved out of his chair and kneeled on the floor in front of her. "Rose, you are incredibly sexy. I get hard every time I even think about you." He grabbed her legs and pulled them down away from her chest and moved between them. "When you touch me it's everything I can do not to finish right there because you are so fucking beautiful, and smart, and I can't believe that you think I'm good to look at and want to mess around with me when you could have any guy in this school." Scorpius leaned into her, his lips inches from hers now, his eyes holding hers. "Rowan Wood is the dumbest fucking dick I've ever met in my life. He had all of that crap that I get plus you were crazy in love with him. I-I don't know how any bloke could give that up for some slag Quidditch groupies. Don't ever let any other arsehole make you feel like you aren't good enough." He pulled her forward, moving his lips against hers, and he kissed her hard. It took him a minute to realize that even though she was kissing him right back she was crying.

 

"Sorry,” she mumbled, wiping her wet cheeks with her hands.

 

"Don't be." He pressed into her again, but she moved him back away from the chair and slid down to the rug with him. He carried her to the floor, and she rolled over him, never letting her lips leave his. She moved her hands up under his shirt and moaned as he reciprocated. Moments later her bra clasp was undone, and her nipple was between his fingers. He rolled her over to be beneath him, and he rocked his hips into hers, trying to rub away the desire growing inside him. 

 

"I really want to fuck you," she mumbled sadly.

 

"I really want to fuck you,” he replied, groaning.

 

"I can't though." She wanted to. She wanted him inside of her so damn bad, but she couldn't let it happen. Two months ago, she hadn't even kissed him yet, and now she was writhing on the floor of the library wanting to feel him move inside of her.

 

"I know," he growled as he pulled her shirt and bra off with one swoop. His mouth claimed her breast, and she moaned again in frustration. He kissed, teased and licked her breasts and then began to move south, leaving a trail of soft red marks on her stomach. His fingers undid the clasp on her jeans and she wiggled out of them. He found her in a pair of pink silk knickers this time, and they were just as sexy as the black lace.

 

He pulled them down her legs, kissing his way down them until she kicked off her knickers and nearly whined for him to come touch her. He slowly kissed his way back up, and when he reached her core, he leaned his face down, pulling her legs apart to reveal her wet lips to him. He was about to lick her for the first time when she squealed and shut her legs on his head and backed away quickly.

 

"What the hell?" he asked in surprise as she sat, completely naked in front of him.

 

"I … never did that."

 

"What?" he gaped at her.

 

"I've never done it. I don't think I want your … tongue … down there."

 

Scorpius rolled his eyes and moved towards her again, pulling her onto his lap. "Believe me, you want my tongue down there, and I want my tongue down there."

 

"But …"

 

"Rose, I want to do it."

 

"What if I don't do it back?"

 

"I might cry” - he chuckled - “but I'll probably survive as long as you keep using your hand to help me out."

 

"I don't know." His hand moved up her thigh and finally settled between them, moving inside of her, causing her body to lean forward into him.

 

"What about a bet,” he suggested, as his fingers moved deftly. 

 

"A bet?"

 

"My first match is next week. If I win” - his thumb began to rub familiar circles - "I get to do this with my tongue afterward."

 

"I don't know …"

 

He put his mouth to her ear and whispered. "I promise you will love it."

 

She pulled back, looking at him, trying to concentrate despite what he was doing to her. "Okay. If you win … you can do it … once."

 

Scorpius laughed and shook his head. "You'll definitely want it more than once."

 

XXX

 

Their first Hogwarts visit was that Saturday. Rose's plans for having a girl's day had completely fallen apart. Alice had finally told them all she was going with Albus, and Poppy and Tamsyn had considered this the okay to find dates of their own. Poppy had ended up heavily hinting to Aaron Boot that she wanted to go with him, and he had been all too happy to ask her. Tamsyn hadn't known who to ask, but it ended up being a moot point when George Rudolph, a Hufflepuff prefect asked her on Thursday, and she agreed.

 

Rose was happy for her friends, but she found herself preparing to go to Hogsmeade alone for the first time in over two years. She would have been lying if she said she wasn't a little jealous of them. She also would have been lying if she said she could have handled a date that day. Memories of Rowan in Hogsmeade kept bubbling to the surface. They had always had a great time on their visits, because honestly who didn't? They were free for once from lessons, homework, and Quidditch practice. Free to hold hands, kiss softly as they drank butterbeer, and buy loads of candy and tricks with their friends. If she had gone on a date with Aaron or Colin, she would have spent the entire time struggling not to remember what it had been like with Rowan.

 

She decided that even though she didn't have someone to hold hands with, she was going to to go anyway and enjoy herself for a short while and spend the rest of the day in the library working. She had intentionally not asked Scorpius what his plans were because she didn't want him to think she wanted him to ask her, and he hadn't told her. She was sure he wasn't going with anyone else because he would have told her they needed to end whatever it was they were doing. It was one of their rules.

 

She ate breakfast with her friends that morning and waited while their dates slowly came to walk them to town. Aaron smiled at Rose as he took Poppy's hand, and she gave him a wave. George Rudolph came next, and he and Tamsyn stayed and chatted with Rose and Alice for a few minutes before they too left. Next came Al. He walked up to their spot at the table and kissed Alice on the cheek. "Ready?" he asked, and she smiled brightly.

 

"Yeah. You want to walk down with us Rose?"

 

Rose waved her hand at them. "No, go on." She watched them leave, hand in hand, and turned back to finish her pumpkin juice. When it was gone, she stood, wrapping her coat and scarf around her, before leaving the Great Hall. She headed towards the front door and waved at the caretaker who nodded his head at her, checking her off the list. Rose walked slowly, her hands shoved in her pockets, and her face watching the ground. She felt more alone than she had thought she would, and she felt a lump rising in her throat. She thought she was over Rowan, but a small part of her missed his hand in hers, missed his laugh as she teased him while they walked, missed his kiss as he stopped walking suddenly and pulled her into him.

 

When she reached the town, she headed for the Three Broomsticks first and ordered a butterbeer. She grabbed it from Madame Rosmerta with a "Thank you!" and set off to find a table towards the back corner of the pub. She sat there watching the rest of the Hogwarts Students drinking butterbeer and laughing with friends. She was regretting her decision to come when Scorpius approached her table with his own butterbeer and settled at the table across from her.

 

"You look miserable,” he told her.

 

"Thanks,” she told him, wondering what in the world he was doing.

 

"All my mates have dates. Being alone today was an unforeseen side effect of not dating."

 

"You could date," she told him.

 

"Eh. Not really, no one I would have wanted to ask." He glanced around them as if he was scoping out the prospects.

 

"Okay. So you're going to sit here with me?" She wasn't sure how she felt about that.

 

"Why not? We're friends now."

 

She nodded. "Yeah, but …" She couldn't help but think about the words he had said to her as he had kneeled in front of her in the library. In fact, she hadn't been able to stop thinking about them, hearing them over and over in her head like a broken record.

 

"We won't hold hands. I won’t kiss you. I won't buy you candy or take you to Puddifoot's for tea." He smirked at her, and she grinned.

 

"I guess it won't be a date if we don't drink the fancy tea."

 

"So, how is your team doing at practices?" He took a drink of his butterbeer, and she shrugged.

 

"Good. We've been a team so long it seems like we just kind of read each other's minds. How is your team doing?"

 

"Fine. Al's gone a bit nutty, and he's talking about adding in a third practice."

 

"What? Did you tell him you don't have time for that?"

 

"Yeah. I told him I would quit."

 

"Quit as Keeper?" she asked, startled. 

 

"Yeah. I have to get an N.E.W.T in all of my classes this year, so if he adds any more to the schedule I'm going to have to cut it. I'm barely getting everything done as it is."

 

"I get it. Why do you have to get an N.E.W.T in all of your subjects? I mean I know we're both doing it, but I don't know what in the world you would need them all for."

 

"I, well, accepted a job already. I have to have them for it."

 

"Oh." They sat there quietly for a few minutes, listening to the buzz around them as Rose felt like a failure again for not having a job yet. "What are you going to be doing?"

 

"Uh … working for Ollivander."

 

"What?" Rose's eyes grew wide.

 

"He … going to teach me …"

 

"How to make wands?" Rose hissed, and Scorpius nodded, looking around them again.

 

"Look, don't tell Al okay? He wants to go be Auror's together, and I … well this is …"

 

"Amazing, Scorpius. That's incredible." She saw a flush creep into his neck as he ducked his head down and drank from his cup again. She was surprised to find that though she was jealous, it was because he had a plan and knew what he wanted, not because he had bested her. She was excited for him and couldn't believe that he was going to get to have such a unique job right out of Hogwarts. "I won't mention it to Al."

 

"Thanks." They drank in silence again as they enjoyed the warming sensation the butterbeer spread down their bodies. "What are you going to do?" he asked after the break had gone on for several long minutes.

 

"I'm … well …" She didn't want to tell him. She couldn't, not after what he had just told her. He would think she was an idiot. "I …"

 

"Rose! Scorpius!" Alice called their names, walking into the corner with Al behind her carrying two drinks. "Are you here …" She took a step back as if she was afraid she was interrupting something.

 

"Just two friends, sharing a butterbeer," Scorpius told her, grinning at his best mate's girl.

 

"Oh, good." Alice smiled brightly and sat down at one of the two empty chairs. Albus took the fourth chair and handed over Alice's drink.

 

"Scorpius saw me sitting here alone and just came by to chat."

 

"Oh, what are we talking about."

 

"Nothing exciting," Rose told her. "Mostly just about classes."

 

Alice rolled her eyes. "You two. Leave it at the castle. This is our day off! We're free!"

 

"It didn't take you too long to end up in here. I thought you were headed for the joke shop."

 

"It's too cold to stay out there." Albus motioned to the entrance, where more students were pouring in. "Plus George will send me pretty much whatever I want if I owl him."

 

"We did get some sweets," Alice told them. "Honeydukes was packed."

 

"I'm not sure I'll be braving the shops today," Rose told them. "Probably just going to head back up to the castle and read something that doesn't have anything to do with homework for once."

 

"Oh, no Rose! You have to do something fun today,” Alice insisted.

 

“That is fun to me,” Rose teased.

 

"It sounds great to me." Scorpius raised his glass and took another drink. "I'm so bloody tired of reading and writing essays. I just want to get these damn exams over with and go on with life already. This year has been so crazy."

 

"Can you believe we're all really going to be graduating in a few months?" Albus shook his head. "We're going to have real jobs, and we won't be coming back to Hogwarts."

 

“I'm trying not to think about it,” Alice cringed. “My dad finally started in on me last week. We had dinner in his office with Mum, and he just kindly hinted at it while Mum kicked him under the table to get him to stop."

 

"I'm sure we will all find something." Albus put a hand behind her and began rubbing small circles into her back. "If not, we can all just live at home forever."

 

"No way." Rose wrinkled her nose at him. "Hugo will be graduating in two years, and if I'm not living on my own by then one of you needs to host an intervention." They all laughed at the thought of Hugo Weasley, underachiever of the century, outdoing Rose.

 

"That kid." Al shook his head. "I have a feeling he's going to be joining Uncle George."

 

"Probably. He already helps Dad and George in the summer. I don't even know if he'll want to get N.E.W.T.s. Mum will probably make him."

 

"My Dad would have murdered me if I left when I came of age." Scorpius shook his head.

 

"Hermione would murder Hugo. She's right scary when she's angry," Albus told Scorpius, deadly serious, and Rose grinned.

 

"Mum isn't so bad."

 

"Yeah, well you're perfect Rosie. You're never on her bad side."

 

Rose rolled her eyes at him, remembering several occasions when she had indeed been on her mother's bad side. "I'm just honest with her. My mum is very forgiving."

 

"Do you lot remember that time we put that Love Potion in Teddy's tea?" Alice started laughing, and Albus and Rose joined her.

 

"He wouldn't stop touching Victoire the whole day."

 

"Your Mum nearly exploded when she found out what we had done to him."

 

"We were just trying to help him out!" Rose insisted defensively. "Considering the results, I think we did just that."

 

"Yeah, but he was mortified for the next week." Albus looked at Scorpius. "He wouldn't come out of his room at our house the entire time he was staying with us."

 

"No wonder with you three shits ruining his life." Scorpius laughed at them and shook his head.

 

"Oh, yeah. Married to her, expecting a baby, and already an Auror. Cry me a river. What a terrible life," Albus said sarcastically as he stood. "Another round for everyone?"

 

"I'll come help." Scorpius stood as well, grabbing Rose's cup as Albus grabbed Alice's.

 

As Rose watched them walk towards the bar, Alice watched Rose. "You're in trouble,” she told her friend.

 

Rose looked back at her and cocked an eyebrow. "What am I in trouble for?"

 

"You like him."

 

"What? Scorpius?" Rose told her, indignation clear in her tone.

 

"No, your bloody cousin who I'm here on a date with. Yes, Scorpius."

 

"I don't like him."

 

"Rose" - Alice shook her head, smiling softly - "You're playing with fire." Rose grinned, thinking about the way that Scorpius made her feel like her body was on fire when he touched her. "Yeah, that stupid smile is really helping your case."

 

"Oh, shut up. Just because I can stand being around him …"

 

"And you're snogging him and who knows what else."

 

Rose blushed deeply thinking about the bet that Scorpius had made with her and the possible repercussions it could have. "We're just …"

 

"Trying to snog the attraction away? How does that even sound like a good idea? Let's snog a whole bunch and roll around naked and see if we want to rip each other's clothes off less." Alice stared at Rose and watched her best friend gape back at her.

 

"Well … I don't know what to say to that!" Rose said, exasperated.

 

"Say you'll stop, or at least, give him a real chance."

 

"He doesn't want a real chance, Alice. That's why I'm snogging him and rolling around naked with him. He doesn't want me to be in a relationship with him. If he wanted a real chance, I'd have turned him down like I did Aaron and Colin."

 

"You're a big girl, I'm just worried you're going to end up getting hurt when you least expect it." Alice grabbed her hand and squeezed it as Scorpius and Al headed back towards them.

 

"I won't. I promise,” she told her friend, squeezing back, and she almost, completely believed it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading. I would love to hear what you think of this chapter!   
> XOXO  
> Meg


	7. Chapter Six

Chapter Six

 

The week before the first Quidditch match of the year was full of excitement. The entire school was buzzing about the Gryffindor and Slytherin match that coming Sunday, well, the entire school except Rose Weasley. Rose was feeling a bit sick about the whole thing. She couldn't stop thinking about what Scorpius was going to do to her if his team managed to beat the Gryffindor team.

 

The Gryffindor Captain that year was Roxanne Weasley, Rose's cousin who was also in her seventh year and played Beater. Other cousin's on the team included Lily Potter, Seeker, and Lucy Weasley, Chaser. In addition to cousins, Rose's brother Hugo was also on the team as a Chaser. There were only three people on the Gryffindor team Rose wasn't related to and they happened to be Alice's little brother Frank, the other half of the Gryffindor Beater team, her ex-boyfriend's brother Reagan Wood, Keeper, and Patrick Finnigan, a fifth year Chaser.

 

On the Slytherin side of things, Rose had her cousin and best friend, Albus Potter, Slytherin Captain and Seeker, and Scorpius Malfoy, her friend now, apparently, as well as someone she enjoyed pinning her up against walls, was the Keeper. Darius and Euan were both on their team as Beaters, and their Chasers were Evelyn and Raelyn Cross and Benjamin Forrest.

 

There was an incredible amount of talent on both teams, and Rose wasn't really sure what she was hoping would happen on Sunday. Scorpius meanwhile hadn't mentioned the bet since they had made it and had been even busier than normal. Albus added a third practice to the team for just that week, and Scorpius had not quit only because Al insisted they would go back to two a weeks after the match. Part of Rose hoped that Scorpius had been joking or forgotten about it, and a very small part of her, which she refused to acknowledge, hoped that he had not. She found herself falling into bed each night, exhausted, only to lay awake and think about what it would feel like to have him down there … with his tongue. Even in the dark of her room with no one to see her or hear her thoughts, she would blush and cover her face.

 

By Friday, Rose didn't care what he did to her, she just wanted time with him. She needed that particular sort of tension release his hands and lips gave her, and he hadn't even kissed her since before their Hogsmeade visit. Part of her thought he had decided to move on, but she had caught him staring at her, as if she was something he wanted to eat, during Transfiguration on Thursday and assumed that probably wasn't the case. This was why on Friday, Rose decided that she was done with waiting. She slipped up to the owlery before breakfast and attached a bit of parchment to her owl and asked him to deliver it to Scorpius.

 

She then went down to breakfast and sat next to Alice to eat. "Where were you?" Alice asked as Rose grabbed toast.

 

"Sending a letter." Alice eyed her suspiciously but didn't say anything else. They hadn't talked about Scorpius again since Hogsmeade. The four of them had ended up having several butterbeers before Albus and Alice decided to brave the shops again. Scorpius had walked Rose back up to the school, and she had laid in bed the rest of the day trying to stay warm and read one of her just for fun books.

 

Rose was grateful that their backs were to the Slytherin table when the post came and also that she got a letter from her Mum that caused enough of a ruckus that Alice wouldn't have noticed her own owl delivering a letter to Scorpius anyway. It took everything Rose had not to turn around to watch him open it and see his reaction to her words.

 

Instead, she opened the letter from her Mum and read about how she and her dad were doing, her thoughts about Rose's changes to several potions that she had sent her mother after working with Scorpius, and also a small note at the bottom that she was glad they were "finally getting along."

 

After breakfast, they had Charms. Rose tried really hard to care about the lesson, but her mind was so focused elsewhere that the words kept floating around in her head and mostly just fading away without being recognized. Luckily, it was a lecture day and not a practical lesson because she surely would have blown something up. She could feel Scorpius behind her, his eyes boring into the back of her head, and she wished she could read his thoughts. As she was dying to turn around, she looked down at her parchment instead and saw a short note scrawled there that she hadn't written. 'I'll be there,’ it said, and she couldn't help but smile.

 

After Charms, Rose made her excuses to her friends. "I need to go back to my room to get my Herbology book. I left it this morning." She shook her head as if she couldn't believe her carelessness, and they all offered to come with her to get it. "There is no reason. Just head to the library, and I'll catch up with you." Rose did catch up with them, but not before she had snuck off to her room to grab a few things, none of which was her herbology book which she had definitely not forgotten.

 

She spent her break in the library working on Arithmancy, and then they all went to lunch together, followed by Herbology. Every moment seemed slow, and every second seemed to last a lifetime. Professor Longbottom, who Rose loved, seemed to be more long-winded than normal and also seemed to have picked that day for the most uninteresting lesson of the year. Rose kept staring at the clock, waiting for class to dismiss, as she tried to glance at Scorpius without looking directly at him. He kept fidgeting, reaching out his legs, adjusting his sleeves, messing with his quill. He was anxious, which made her feel even more excited. Finally, when it seemed like they had been in Herbology for a week, class ended. Alice left to go to Astronomy, and Rose told Poppy and Tamsyn that she was going to her room to get some work done in her library.

 

In reality, Rose snuck to the Prefect's bathroom and entered. She dropped her bag and dug through it quickly for her bikini. She disappeared behind a screen and changed quickly, knowing that Scorpius would be anxious to get there. Once dressed, she turned the taps, filling the pool with sweet smelling water and bubbles. When the tub was full, she turned the taps off and sat to wait.

 

It was a good ten minutes later, about five minutes after she had decided she might be getting stood up, that Scorpius entered the back room. He turned back to the entrance, tapped it with his wand and said "Clauditis" to keep any unsuspecting prefects in search of an afternoon bath away.

 

Rose waited for him at the side of the tub, her legs dangling into the water. She watched as he dropped his bag and unbuttoned his shirt. He was staring at her, a small grin on his lips as he pulled the shirt off his arms and moved on to his trousers. They came down quickly as well, revealing his bathing suit which he had obviously gone to his room to put on.

 

Scorpius walked over and sat down next to her. "Lavender soap." He smiled and pulled a lock of her fiery, lavender scented hair.

 

Rose leaned in and smiled as she kissed him. She pulled him closer with a hand behind his neck, and his arms were soon around her waist. "Fuck," he told her, pressing his lips against hers again, "I needed that." His voice was heavy as he rested his head against hers. "This week has been awful."

 

"You didn't kiss me a single time," Rose said, with a little extra indignation.

 

"Believe me, that was not easy." Scorpius pulled her closer still, forcing her to move onto his lap. She moved her legs out of the water and wrapped them around him, and her hands rested on his chest.

 

"I almost gave you up as a bad job and snogged Colin instead."

 

Scorpius growled and pulled her into him to kiss her. She moved her arms up around his neck and tried to scoot even closer. Through the thin fabric of their bathing suits, Rose could feel him harden against her. She let out a soft sigh and rubbed wiggled against him, delighting in the sensation the small movement sent up her body. "It's not nice to tease, Rose Weasley."

 

"It's not nice to keep me waiting, Scorpius Malfoy."

 

"I'll make up for it today." He moved his lips, trailing small kisses along her jaw until he reached her ear. "And, tomorrow after we beat Gryffindor, I'll do more than make up for it." Rose's body rocked again, trying to rub against him and find some small relief there. "Tell me what you need." He bit at her neck softly, and she shivered.

 

"You," she mumbled softly, hearing the terrible desperation in her own voice.

 

"And, I think it's pretty clear that I need you." Scorpius rocked his hips forward, pushing against her. She let out an undignified sound into his mouth as he claimed her lips again, kissing her hard. He pulled one hand up from her waist, trailing his fingers over her side and stomach before he rested it on her breast. He sighed contentedly into her mouth as he felt the weight of her breast come free of her bikini top and into his hand with a simple push on the cloth. His lips left hers a moment later, and she leaned back to allow him to take her nipple into his mouth.

 

"Bloody … unh …" His hot mouth on her cold nipple and his hard cock pressed against her were both driving her crazy. Every cell in her body was screaming at her to just shag him already, but she couldn't. As much as she wanted to, the image of Rowan drunk on her parents couch kept Rose from telling Scorpius to bury himself inside of her. "Scor … let's … fuck … go for a swim."

 

He released her nipple and looked at her sadly. "I don't want to go for a swim. I want to enjoy you and these perfect breasts."

 

"I need a small break, or I'm going to do something really stupid that I'll regret."

 

"Just let me help you." He moved his hand back down her body, and she whimpered as his fingers touched her swollen lips.

 

"Fuck," she cried softly into his shoulder, and he slid the fabric aside to touch her.

 

"You're always so damn wet, Rose." She could barely breathe, and she felt the change in his own breathing with her chest so close to his.

 

"I promise it's your fault," she whispered. He moved two fingers, burying them inside of her, and she wanted to cry at the sensation. She had to resist the urge to push his hand away, pull his cock out, and bury him inside of her. This was insane. She was insane. Never with Rowan had she ever wanted him like this. She had loved his hands on her, loved touching him in return, loved feeling close to him, but she had never had to fight with herself to keep her body from betraying her until she had been ready after the Graduation party.

 

"It better be." Scorpius found her clit, and his face moved back down. She leaned back again slightly to let him take her nipple. With one hand she freed the other side and began to knead it with her own hand.

 

She felt that now familiar fire blazing inside of her, building from the place where he touched her and spreading throughout her body. As her breathing grew heavier and her body rocked against him, Rose felt herself move closer and closer to the edge. She moaned as he moved from one breast to the other, the cold air on her wet nipple causing it to harden even more. She rolled it between her fingers, pushing her hips harder against his hand.

 

After a few minutes, Scorpius moved his lips back to her ear. "Red … you feel amazing."

 

She whimpered into his neck, feeling the coming orgasm as it began with a jolt, crashing down into her. Scorpius carried her through it, not releasing his hold on her until she had stopped crying out his name and was limp against him, nibbling on his neck.

 

As she started to lift her head, Scorpius brought his fingers up to his lips and tasted her. "You are delicious, Red. I can't wait for tomorrow." She blushed, mortified, but Scorpius pulled her in to kiss him. When she tasted herself on his lips, she only felt even more turned on.

 

"Are we going to use this tub you filled?" He asked her, and she shook her head.

 

"Not just yet,” she told him as she grinned wickedly. "It's my turn."

 

XXX

 

The next day, Scorpius and Rose both ended up staying in the Great Hall after lunch where a chess tournament was being played. Students from all four houses were sitting around the Hall, eating snacks the House Elves had sent up and chatting. Professor Vector was sitting at one end of the hall, reading from a large book, but she seemed to be pleased by the impromptu event. Rose had played a few rounds and then ended up losing to her own brother. Hugo was wicked good at chess.

 

Most of the time, Hugo and Rose didn't cross paths at Hogwarts. They were two years apart, and they had been sorted into different houses. Neither one of them was really good about making time for the other, so they just kind of took time when it came up. After her loss, Rose sat next to him at the Slytherin table to watch him take on Penelope Carter, the seventh year Slytherin Prefect.

 

Alice and Albus sat next to her which meant that Scorpius was watching with them as well. Even with him sitting across the table next to Albus, Rose found herself distracted by his very presence, especially after yesterday. It had been amazing to have him all to herself for two whole hours, locked in the Prefects Bathroom. They had both left very satisfied and very reluctantly. She could still feel the way his body had felt pressed against hers in the tub. She already wanted to feel that again, to be alone with him and no one else. But, she knew that wasn't possible. He had his Quidditch Game tomorrow, so he needed to finish his homework today. They were both taking this much needed time with their friends now, so she knew he would be working that night.

 

She chanced a look at him and saw that he was also looking at her out of the corner of his eye. She looked back at Hugo and couldn't hold back a small smile. She knew he was thinking about her too, which meant he was thinking about the same thing she was thinking about, and she loved that. She loved that he wanted her just as badly as she wanted him. It made her feel a little less crazy that her raging teenage hormones were not alone in their insanity.

 

Hugo bit his bottom lip and reached forward, moving a knight. To the untrained eye, Hugo always looked nervous during chess and Quidditch, but Rose knew better. Hugo was brilliant at both, and it was all an act. As Penelope picked up a castle and moved it, Rose felt a foot touch her leg.

 

She twitched in surprise, and Alice touched her shoulder. "Are you okay?"

 

The foot began to move up her leg, and Rose smiled at Alice. "I'm fine. Sorry."

 

Albus reached across the table and grabbed a small ham sandwich from in front of Rose. "They keep sending food. Why don't we do this every weekend?" he asked as he chewed his sandwich, and Alice looked at him disgusted.

 

"Because some of us don't need to eat all day like cattle," she said.

 

"You know you think I'm sexy." He winked at her, and she shook her head but fought the upward curve of her lips.

 

Hugo moved again. "Pass me some crisps, Rosie," he asked and Rose crossed her arms.

 

"Seriously, Dad?"

 

"Pass me some crisps, Rose,” he corrected. "Pleaseeeeee."

 

Rose laughed at him and handed him a bowl. He dumped some on his plate and handed them back. "I'm with Al," he told them. "We should sit in here every weekend, eat, and play chess." He reached over to the other side of his game with Penelope and grabbed a chocolate frog. He opened the package and ate the frog in one bite. "Ugh. It's Mum again. I've got like 20 of her." He rolled his eyes and put the card down next to his plate.

 

Penelope shook her head. "You know, you should be a little more excited to see your Mum on a chocolate frog card considering what she had to do to get on there."

 

"Oh, Merlin." Albus rolled his eyes, and Rose snickered, while Hugo stared at Penelope, unimpressed.

 

"She's my Mum,” he said flatly.

 

"She's part of the reason I'm even allowed to be here," Penelope told him. "I'm a Half-Blood. If your Mum hadn't helped this idiot's” - she motioned at Albus - "Dad defeat Voldemort, I never would have been allowed in here."

 

"She makes me clean my room and nags me about my grades."

 

"I don't care if she makes you wash your knickers." Penelope took her turn. "She's amazing. I follow all of her work. I can only hope to be a third as incredible as she is. She decided to come back to school and finish her seventh year even though she didn't have to. She had real power after the war, and she's used it to propel so many amazing things forward. I really admire her." Rose could see that she was passionate about what she was saying, and it made her wonder, was she as proud of her Mum as this girl who had never met her? She loved her parents, but sometimes it didn't seem real that they could be the people on the chocolate frog cards. Rose had heard her mother, father, and Harry all speak at the twenty-fifth anniversary memorial for the fallen of the war that past summer, and she had felt like she was listening to strangers.

 

When her parents were her age, they were hiding from someone who wanted to murder them. They were hunting down Horcruxes and saving the world. All Rose had done this year was snog Scorpius, play Quidditch, and gone to class. When she compared her life to theirs, she felt insignificant, almost like nothing she did really mattered.

 

Penelope words were so true. Her mother was incredible. There was nothing Rose could do to measure up to Hermione Granger-Weasley. She had already led the magical world in a civil rights movement for house-elves and now worked at the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, where she was doing work that landed her in the Daily Prophet even more than Rose's uncle, Harry Potter.

 

"She's my Mum," Hugo said again, dumbly.

 

"She's a war hero, mate," Scorpius told Hugo, and Hugo rolled his eyes.

 

"Hugo, she's more than just Mum."

 

"Well, of course, she is, but all my life she's wanted me to see her as Mum and not Hermione Granger, and I'm not about to start going all doe-eyed that she saved the world now. She's my Mum." Hugo moved. "I'm not saying she isn't bloody awesome, she is, but I'm not going to wax poetic about her every time I open a chocolate frog card with her face on it. She wouldn't want that."

 

Rose frowned and ate a crisp off his plate. "You're an idiot."

 

"Yeah, well, you lost to me, so what does that make you?" He smirked at her.

 

XXX

 

That night, Rose and Scorpius had regular rounds together and then their Heads rounds. They had talked mostly about the chess games they had watched. Scorpius shared with her how impressed he had been by Hugo's overall victory, and Rose had shrugged and smiled in reply.

 

"We play a lot at home. The night … when I found out about Rowan … my parents and Hugo just got out the chess sets and junk food, and we stayed up all night playing."

 

"That's pretty awesome."

 

"It was. Especially considering that my parents had just found out I slept with him at the same time."

 

"Ouch."

 

"Yeah. They took it pretty well. I think they knew … that it …"

 

"That you were already punished enough?"

 

"Yeah." She sighed. "It's crazy how fast life can change. If someone had told me six months ago that I would be doing whatever this is with you …" She shook her head.

 

Scorpius laughed. "I don't know what you mean, Red. We were such good friends before." Rose slowed down, then stopped walking, and looked over at him. It was the first time he had called her Red when they weren't messing around since they had started this … whatever.

 

"Oh, yeah, best friends."

 

He stopped with her and leaned back against the stone wall next to him. "You were just so damn jealous of me." He shook his head, and Rose shrugged.

 

"I think you're probably right." She looked down the hall as if she was watching something and then looked back at him. "I wanted to be like my Mum,” she told him. "She was always the best in her year, and I wanted to be too."

 

"You are not your Mum."

 

"I know."

 

"Your Mum couldn't do half the things you do on your broom."

 

Rose actually laughed out loud at that one. "My Mum can barely fly a broom."

 

"See?" He smiled at her. "You aren't the same person, and no one expects you to be."

 

"That isn't true. People expect us both to be just like them. Me like Hermione Granger, and you like Draco Malfoy."

 

Scorpius reached his arm out and caught hers, pulling her into him. "Do you think Hermione and Draco ever snogged in the halls?" He raised an eyebrow as he moved one hand into her hair and pressed his lips against hers. He pulled her tighter to him and turned their bodies, so he was pushing her against the wall. "Do you think they ever did the things I've done to you?" he whispered against her mouth before claiming it again, moving his tongue between her lips. She gripped his shirt in her fists. Scorpius moved his mouth to her ear and breathed hot air into it. "Do you think he ever needed her the way I need you?" His hand was pushing her skirt up, rubbing against the soft skin at the top of her leg, making her breath hitch.

 

"No," Rose forced out, not even really thinking about their parents anymore, lost in the circles his thumb was rubbing against her thigh.

 

"Then let's stop comparing ourselves to them," he told her, and he bit her neck lightly. "We're going to destroy Gryffindor tomorrow if it kills me."

 

XXX

 

Sunday morning, Rose walked down to the Great Hall with Alice, who was wearing one of Albus' old Slytherin jerseys. "You realize we have to beat them also?" Rose had asked her when she saw it.

 

"Yes, but not today. Today, I'm just a supportive girlfriend." Alice blushed when she said girlfriend, and Rose smiled at her. She wondered if Scorpius had asked her to wear his jersey if she would have liked that. She would never have done it in a million years, but …

 

"I hope they win," Alice said as they made their way to the Ravenclaw table. "Al has been pushing them so hard. The team will probably revolt if it doesn't pay off."

 

"Scorpius has been exhausted," Rose said without thinking, and she bit her lip as Alice looked at her with a frown.

 

"Rose …"

 

"Leave it, Alice."

 

Alice sighed and found a seat. Rose sat next to her and started adding bacon to her plate.

 

"You two don't make any bloody sense," Alice grumbled as she scooped eggs onto her own.

 

"Are you going to sit in the Slytherin stands today?" Rose asked, ignoring her.

 

"Are you?"

 

"Of course not," Rose told her. "Why would I?"

 

"Because the boy you can't keep your hands off of is their keeper," Alice told her in a low voice, and Rose elbowed her.

 

"I only root for Ravenclaw."

 

"Mmhmm." Alice nodded with wide unbelieving eyes. Rose stared at her plate and took a bite of her bacon. She knew she was lying just as well as Alice did. She was really, really rooting for Slytherin to win. She wanted to feel Scorpius touching her again. After last night, she didn't care if it was with his tongue - in a way that she never thought she would want - or something else, she just needed him.

 

A few minutes later, Tamsyn and Poppy sat down across from them. "Are you seriously wearing that?" Poppy asked Alice, glaring at her jersey. "Aren't you on our house team?"

 

"She's a traitor," Rose told their friends, shaking her head sadly. "Buy her a couple candies and some butterbeer, and she'll bring down the whole Ravenclaw operation from within."

 

Alice rolled her eyes and snorted. "That is definitely the plan."

 

Tamsyn was staring at her sweater in a more serious way. "Are you two really serious?" She asked Alice, who blushed immediately.

 

"I … maybe."

 

"Hmmm." Tamsyn put eggs and bacon on her own plate.

 

"How serious?" Poppy asked, narrowing her eyes now.

 

"Uh … we talked about maybe getting a place together. Once we both have jobs."

 

"What?" Rose asked, surprised. "You never said."

 

"Well, it just happened this weekend."

 

"What will your parents think?" Tamsyn asked.

 

"What will his parents think?" Poppy added.

 

"Good luck with Ginny!" Rose snorted, and Alice looked at her with sad eyes.

 

"Do you think she won't like me anymore?"

 

"Oh no!" Rose rushed to reassure her friend. "She just won't want you stealing her baby away from her."

 

"Al said they practically are shoving James out the door."

 

"Yeah, but Al is different. She's kind of weird about him."

 

"Grrrrreat," Alice mumbled, tossing a half-eaten piece of bacon back on her plate.

 

"I'm sure it will be fine. You guys will figure it out."

 

"Maybe." Alice looked sad still, so Rose wrapped her arm around her back and hugged her tightly.

 

"Alice, you're amazing, and they already love you and your parents. It will be fine. Uncle Harry and Aunt Ginny are really sweet."

 

Alice gave her a small smile. "I know. I'm just nervous. He wants to have dinner with them and my parents over Christmas Break. I'm not really looking forward to it."

 

"I wouldn't stress about it. Albus is perfectly capable of handling his mum's crazy." Rose grabbed her hand and squeezed it.

 

"Anyway” - Poppy gave an exaggerated sigh - "I guess that leaves the three of us getting a flat together and living the single life."

 

"Uh, what?" Tamsyn asked with a laugh.

 

"Oh come on girls! It will be fun. We've already made it through six and a half years without killing each other. I'm sure we can make it through a few more."

 

Rose stared at her, open-mouthed. "You want to live with us?" It wasn't a crazy idea now that Rose thought about it, but she had never really thought about it.

 

"Well, yeah. We'll all have to get jobs eventually, and I don't think any of us are keen on living with our parents much longer, and it would be familiar."

 

"I'll think about it. I think I like the idea," Rose said, and Alice pouted.

 

"I'm crashing your apartment all the time if this happens," she told them, and Tamsyn rolled her eyes.

 

"You're going to have access to Albus Potter's body seven days a week. I don't feel bad for you at all." Tamsyn stared appreciatively over at the Slytherin table where Albus was finishing breakfast with his friends.

 

"Ewwww!" Rose told her laughing.

 

"Also, I'm totally in! This gets me away from my crazy family and my loving, but overbearing, father." As Tamsyn spoke, the Gryffindor team passed them on their way out of the Great Hall.

 

"Good Luck!" Rose told her brother and her cousins, only feeling a small twinge of betrayal that she really wished luck was against them today.

 

"Good Luck, Frank!" Alice echoed, and her brother nodded in acknowledgment as he followed Hugo down the Hall.

 

XXX

 

Oliver Wood leaned down to free the bludgers and the snitch and then threw the Quaffle into the air with a blow of his whistle. As the match started with a shake of hands between Roxanne and Albus, Scorpius flew up in front of the posts and waited. Albus flew up into the air and out of the way without a thought, and Roxanne hoisted her bat off of her lap and did the same.

 

"Gryffindor takes possession," Scorpius heard as he saw Hugo Weasley barreling forward towards him with the Quaffle. It looked like his intent was to knock right into Scorpius, but at the last moment, he passed to Lucy Weasley. Scorpius flipped up, arm outstretched and stopped the goal to a roar of cheers and boos. He hadn't been able to actually catch the Quaffle but luckily Raelyn Cross was flying near him, and she caught it, causing the action to zoom to the other side of the pitch.

 

Raelyn took a Bludger to the arm, but she was able to pass to Benjamin Forrest before she cradled her arm against her stomach and winced. Ben continued down the pitch, feigned left and threw right. Reagan Wood missed it by a hair, and it swooped into the post.

 

"Ten Points to Slytherin!"

 

Scorpius chanced a glance at the Ravenclaw stands. He knew exactly where Rose was sitting, and he saw her clapping and smiling with Alice. She wanted him to win. The thought made his heart race even more than the adrenaline of the game. Scorpius then glanced up at Albus and Lily, both circling above the stadium. "Come on, Al," He muttered before turning his attention back to the restarted match.

 

There was a battle for possession. Scorpius kept hearing names spat out as fast as the announcer could say them.

 

"Lucy Weasley, no Evelyn Cross, no Ben Forrest, now it's Hugo Weasley, now, OW! That's a nasty hit by Euan Nott to Hugo, now Slytherin in possession, Forrest with the Quaffle and he … is blocked by Reagan Wood in a deep dive!"

 

Scorpius groaned and watched as Gryffindor took possession and headed back his way. The three Gryffindor chasers were passing the Quaffle as they flew, keeping it out of the Slytherin hands and making it harder for the Beaters to target any one of them. As they reached him, Lucy threw the Quaffle at a post and Scorpius dove. "THE SNITCH HAS BEEN SIGHTED!" he heard boom through the stadium. He was only distracted for half a second but it was too late, the Quaffle soared past him and through the hoop.

 

He roared angrily and watched as Ben grabbed the Quaffle and threw it to Evelyn who had shot off with it down the stadium as Scorpius searched the pitch for Albus and Lily. They were both laying flat on their brooms, zooming towards the Hufflepuff stands. His eyes flickered back and forth between the Quaffle and Al, watching as the brother and sister grew closer to the tiny golden ball he couldn't see. Lily was a hair ahead of Al, but he was gaining on her and Scorpius knew his arms were longer. Scorpius had his eyes on the Quaffle, still heading away from him, as the crowd erupted.

 

XXX

 

Rose exploded with the other fans as Albus closed his fist around the snitch. She was jumping up and down with Alice, who had been standing and leaning forward against the edge of the stands as her boyfriend reached out towards the tiny golden ball, when Albus flew right in front of them. He reached out his hand to Alice, who climbed over the wall keeping them from falling the long way down to the ground, and sat on his broom, facing towards him and kissed him as he wrapped his arms around her. The stands broke into another round of louder applause for the Slytherin Seeker and the Ravenclaw Chaser. "Have this," Rose saw him tell her, and he handed her the tiny snitch, which she took happily before climbing back in the stands next to Rose so Albus could go celebrate the victory with his team.

 

When he got to the ground, Rose saw Scorpius practically tackle him in a hug, and she smiled in anticipation, thinking about the celebration they would be having later that night with just the two of them. "Come on!" Alice told her excitedly and grabbed Rose by the hand, pulling her behind her to the stairs.

 

When they reached the pitch, the Gryffindor and Slytherin teams were shaking hands. Lily was looking rather somber as she congratulated her brother. "Oh, Lils," Rose heard a familiar voice behind her over the noise and looked back to see her Uncle Harry and Aunt Ginny walking towards their children. "Be a good sport," her father finished patting the young redhead on the shoulder. "You have two years left to destroy Slytherin."

 

"Dad!" Al hugged his father and kissed his mother on the cheek. "Mum!"

 

"What are you doing here?" Lily asked as she followed Albus in greeting her parents.

 

"We came for your game," Harry told them.

 

"Neville invited us. I dare say he didn't expect the ending to be quite so … exciting." Ginny let her eyes fall on Alice. "Hello, Alice, dear."

 

"Uh …" Albus walked over to Alice then and put his hand on hers. "So … I guess I should tell you …"

 

"I think we figured it out ourselves, Al." Harry laughed, causing Alice to blush.

 

"We were going to tell you over Christmas and hopefully, have dinner with Alice's Mum and Dad."

 

"You mean the Headmaster you nearly gave a heart attack just now?" Ginny joked and waved at Neville and Hannah who were walking across the pitch towards the group.

 

Alice turned an even brighter shade of pink, but Al just smiled. "Yeah … well … caught up in the moment …"

 

"Speaking of the moment, you never gave me a snitch," Ginny told Harry with indignation, crossing her arms.

 

"Well, I … kissed you in front of everyone after you won the match for me in my sixth year." He wrapped a hand around her waist.

 

"I suppose you did." She kissed his cheek.

 

Lily groaned. "Oh, get a room."

 

"Well, that was an exciting match." Neville said, coming up behind Harry, with Hannah beside him.

 

"Uh … Dad …"

 

"I was aware the two of you were seeing each other, but I was under the impression it had just started." He looked crossly at Albus and Alice, and Hannah laughed at him.

 

"Oh, Neville, don't tease the poor children." Hannah went right up to Albus and hugged him.

 

"Congratulations, Albus. That was a great catch." She kissed Alice on the head and told her, "Your father and I are delighted."

 

"I was … uh … hoping we could all have dinner at Christmas," Albus said again. Scorpius hit him on the back this time.

 

"Is that all you can say now? I think everyone knows your Christmas plans. Forget all this and sneak Alice into the dorm for the party." Scorpius winked at Neville who winked back.

 

"I won't tell a soul,” he promised. 

 

"Am I not invited to the party?" Rose crossed her arms, and Scorpius was reminded very much of her Aunt.

 

"Oh, Red, It's not a party without you." Scorpius winked at her also, and she shook her head at him.

 

"Guess I have a party to be getting to," Albus told her parents, and he hugged them each. "Sorry the game wasn't longer."

 

"Oh don't be," Ginny told him, hugging him tightly. "The Longbottoms are going to have lunch with us in Hogsmeade."

 

"It was a good catch," Harry said. "Lily do you want to come to lunch with us?" he asked as the four seventh years started to walk away, moving towards the castle.

 

"Are you kidding me?" Lily huffed. "How embarrassing!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading. I would love to hear what you think of this chapter!   
> XOXO  
> Meg


	8. Chapter Seven

Chapter Seven

 

Two hours after the victory, the Slytherin Common Room was still full of loud, excited students. Scorpius was done celebrating, and he was done waiting for his true prize, one Rose Weasley. He had been trying to escape the party for a good twenty minutes already and Albus had been talking his ear off the entire time - about strategy.

 

"Al, give it a rest. Go enjoy your girl," Scorpius told him, patting him on the shoulder. He motioned over at Alice who was standing in the corner of the room with Rose, Penelope, and Ruby Macmillan, another seventh year, drinking Pumpkin Juice.

 

"Oh alright!" Albus grinned, "But we're going to talk more about this tomorrow." Scorpius rolled his eyes and practically pushed him towards Alice. He stared at the group of girls as Albus made his way to them, and smiled when he caught Rose's eye. He motioned with his head towards the boy's stairs and saw her lift her cup as if she was telling them she needed to fill it.  
Rose met him at the base of the stairs and stood next to him as she looked in at the crowd. "I'm done with this party," he told her.

 

"I know. Me too." He could smell her lavender shampoo, and the scent made him want to do stupid, stupid things. 

 

"Come up with me to get that book you wanted to borrow." He wiggled his eyebrows at her, and she snorted.

 

"If you think I'm going to walk up those stairs with you, then you have lost your mind."

 

"No one will notice," he lied, knowing it was a lie. If they went up the stairs together, the entire room would notice. The whole school would know before he was done ravishing her.

 

She glared at him. "Everyone will notice."

 

"Oh fine. Then go back to your room and meet me."

 

"Fine. I'll see you in a few minutes." Rose walked away from him, dumped her drink in a bin, and walked out of the Common Room without even bothering to tell her friends she was leaving. Scorpius turned around and walked up the stairs two at a time.

 

XXX

 

Rose walked into her bedroom and took a deep breath. This was no big deal. They had fooled out around plenty of times before. Two days ago, she had spent two hours in his arms with nothing but bathing suits on. His fingers had done delicious, naughty, wonderful things to her, and he had made her feel things that she had never imagined. She had been dying for this moment for the past two hours, drudging her way through the party and chit chat with the Slytherin girls. They were nice enough, and Rose sort of knew them from classes, but she just wanted to be alone with Scorpius, and now it was really here. It was really happening, and she was really going to have to pay out for him winning their little bet, and her heart wouldn't stop trying to escape her chest. She whispered the password to the Head Girl in the portrait, not trusting her voice and raced across the room to knock on the wall of Scorpius' room.

 

The portrait swung open immediately. "Finally," Scorpius told her, not bothering to disguise his annoyance.

 

"Do you know how long it takes to get to Ravenclaw tower from the dungeons, Scorpius?" She frowned at him, resting a hand on her hip.

 

"Too long." He was nearly pouting as he pulled her into the room so he could swing the portrait shut behind him. He had covered it with a charm again as he always did when she was in his room. They weren't sure if this actually did anything, but it made them feel better to not have him watching them.

 

"I got here as fast as I could."

 

"Anxious to pay out?" Scorpius pulled her into his arms, and she let him. She wrapped her hands around his waist.

 

"Not any more than you," she retorted, and he smiled.

 

"Damn straight. I couldn't wait to get you up here," he told her honestly, and his lips fell on her neck and began to lightly kiss her soft skin. She moaned quietly against him, and he bit softly at the place he had just kissed. Rose leaned her head to the side to give him better access, loving the shivers he was sending down her spine.

 

"I love it when you moan for me," he whispered, and his breath tickled her neck. He moved one hand up her body, caressing her over her clothes, enjoying the way she folded against him when he held her. Their bodies molded together perfectly.

 

"I love it when you make me moan," she teased with a small smile, and he shook his head.

 

"Don't make fun of me, Weasley," he growled at her.

 

"What are you going to do about it, Malfoy?"

 

"Make you moan louder," he whispered into her ear, and she couldn't help but let out a small satisfied sound. She surely hoped he was right. She wanted him to make her scream.

 

"I guess you should get to it." She pulled away from him and walked over to his bed slowly, looking over her shoulder at him as she shook her hips.

 

"Are you trying to seduce me, Red?" He asked as he slid his hands into his pockets and leaned back against the wall to enjoy the sight of her. Rose had reached the foot of his bed. He saw her smirk as she placed two hands on his blanket and moved them forward. As she bent down towards the bed, her bottom, in those perfect Muggle jeans, was pushed back towards him.

 

"Is it working?" she asked in a soft voice, a small amount of insecurity lacing her words. She bent one knee up to climb on the bed and then the other. Her beautiful bum wiggled at him once she was on all fours on his bed.

 

"Yes," he groaned, but he didn't move. He did not want to interrupt this. Scorpius could not believe the beautiful sight before him, and he didn't care that his pants were suddenly incredibly tight and restrictive, he was going to let her have her fun before he claimed his prize.

 

"Good." She turned on the bed to face him and sat up on her knees before him. She pulled one arm out of her jean jacket and then the other. Every movement was slow and deliberate. She licked her lips as she slid the fabric off her arms and avoided his eyes. Scorpius wanted to rip the rest of her clothes off, but he stayed put, letting his eyes undress her while he waited for her hands to actually do the job.

 

Next to go was her blouse. Rose painstakingly slipped each button through its small hole, loosening her top with a patience that Scorpius was quickly losing. She then put her arms behind her and shook her shoulders to shake the top of her body. This caused her round, flawless breasts to bounce, and Scorpius to let out a small sound that he couldn't quite hold back.

 

Those first two pieces were nothing compared to her tank top. It was not the methodical way that she lifted the top from her body that drove him crazy, but instead, it was that first glimpse of dark green silk lined with silver. "You have got to be fucking kidding me," he hadn’t meant to speak, but the words came tumbling out. 

 

"You like it?" She flushed, her cheeks and chest tinged pink, and Scorpius nearly growled.

 

"That is the sexiest thing I've ever seen." The best thing about the bra was that she had to have ordered it for him. Rowan was in Gryffindor, and she was in Ravenclaw. The only Slytherin that had any business near her bras was him. The fact that she had done this, for him, had him reeling. 

 

"I hoped you would," she whispered, and then she let her hands fall down from her shoulders, her fingers running down her breasts, down her stomach, and resting on the button of her trousers. She undid the snap and wiggled the soft curves of her hips again as she slid her jeans down. The sight of her matching dark green knickers with a silver lace lining sent him over the edge. 

 

There was no more standing back waiting for her. He ripped buttons as he stalked across the room to his bed. By the time he was moving onto the mattress, he was topless and pushing his own trousers down. He threw them aside, and gently pushed Rose down on his bed. She smirked at his loss of control, but he ignored her. His hand gripped her jeans, and he pulled them the rest of the way down. He kneeled over her for a single second, taking in the picture of her in his house colors and then he was lying over her, claiming her mouth as she rocked up into him.

 

He felt her nails on his back, and he pushed his hard cock down against her beautiful knickers as she scratched him just hard enough. "Fuck. Fuck. Fuck." His voice was pained, and she pulled him closer, letting her tongue push past his lips and explore his mouth.

 

Rose pushed against him, moving him to his side and then onto his back. Scorpius didn't care what she was doing, or what she wanted, as long as she kept bloody rubbing that incredible body on his. She was kissing him then, on his neck and then his shoulder, moving her lips softly along his body. Her breath sent shivers down his skin. He felt her as she moved to his chest, and she softly moved her nails across his skin as she licked at his abdomen. Then, her hands were on his pants, and she pushed them down, freeing his cock. He couldn't help but let out a sigh as she slid the cloth down his legs.

 

She moved back up his body quickly, and he reached down to pull her up faster, to claim her mouth again, but he felt something hot and wet on his tip. He froze. He looked down and saw Rose's mouth wrapped around him. He groaned loudly in appreciation at the sight. She smiled, and the brush of her lips moving against his skin felt like bloody heaven.

 

"Oh, Red. Oh, Fuck." She slid slowly down his cock, pulling him into her mouth with her lips, and he gripped her perfect red curls in his fingers. She moved back up, and he couldn't believe how fucking sexy it was to watch. He decided in that moment that he could die happy. She licked his tip before diving down again, and then she was bobbing, up and down. He let go of her hair to let her have the control she so clearly already had. She was bloody, fucking amazing.

 

Scorpius tried to hold out, but her surprise attack and the way she was using her tongue as she slid up and down on him were killing him. He could feel his orgasm coming, and he told her as much. "Shit. Rose. I'm going to come." She ignored his warning, and a minute later, he had spilled into her mouth. She released him with a smile. It was shy and hesitant, as if she thought he might actually say or do something other than want to worship her in return. "What the bloody hell was that?" he asked, not able to move quite yet to grab her.

 

"Didn't you like it?" She asked, and he realized she was actually worried.

 

"Rose, that was … incredible. I … surprised. I was not expecting that."

 

"I know, I just wanted to." Scorpius did move then, pulling her up to him and kissing her, not caring that she tasted like him. She was indescribably incredible to him in that moment.

 

"Now you better stop messing around, and let me take my winnings from our bet," he teased her, and he saw her smile nervously as he began to kiss her neck again. His hand moved around her back, and he fought with her bra. She giggled nervously as she waited for him to finally unhook it and pull it off her arms. "You are just full of surprises today," he told her, moving down to pull one nipple into his mouth and then the other. She sighed softly at the sensation, but he moved down her body, eager to reach his destination. His fingertips slid down her stomach as he nipped gently at her skin until he reached her knickers. He breathed over them as he had done before when he was dying to taste her, and now he was finally going to get to do that very thing. He looped her green knickers with his fingers and pushed them down. She helped, pushing them down the rest of the way with her feet, and Scorpius pulled her legs apart.

 

She watched his head move between her legs and hissed as his tongue moved between her lips. She gripped the sheets when his tongue slid up her slit, tasting her. She couldn't believe how incredible it felt to have him down there, his tongue licking the most private part of her body. She didn't even want to stop him, she just wanted to feel him lick her again and again.

 

Scorpius moved his tongue up, finding that sensitive nub that made her crazy, and he flicked his tongue in a small swirl around it. Rose moaned and arched into him, unable to resist her body's need to be somehow even closer to him. "Scor …" She groaned, and he moved one hand from her thigh and slid a finger inside of her as he flicked his tongue again. She felt him moving against her, two fingers sliding inside of her over and over as his tongue moved her closer and closer to the edge. She couldn't think straight, and she couldn't stop rocking her hips against him. She wanted to say something or make her body stop acting ridiculous or know what in the world Scorpius was thinking, but all she could think about was his stupid tongue and his magical fingers. At some point, he swapped them. His thumb found its favorite place on her body and his tongue buried deep inside of her sliding in and out, making her crazy. She screamed then, feeling her body tense, feeling her mind lose all sense for a few moments as passion rocked through her starting at that tongue and moving in waves across her body. She fell back on the bed and when Scorpius moved up to her she snogged him hard.

 

"What did you think?" he asked after he covered them with a blanket.

 

"Bloody amazing.” She let him wrap his arms around her.

 

"I told you."

 

"You can totally do that again," she said, moving her arm across his chest.

 

"Good." He pulled her in closer, and she laid her head next to his on his pillow. Scorpius kissed her forehead, and she sighed contentedly against him.

 

XXX

 

Scorpius woke up with someone very naked beside him. He opened his eyes slowly, and it took him about three seconds to realize it was Rose. They had fallen asleep together. She was still asleep, and he was completely naked, as was she. She was wrapped around him, her body feeling amazing against his, the blanket keeping them both warm. Her bright red hair was dancing behind her and sticking every which way, completely crazy from their fun and then sleep.

 

He couldn't believe how much he liked having her sleeping in his arms. He tried to pretend that it was because she was naked, but he knew even if she had been fully clothed he would love having her close, close enough to smell her lavender soap. Even after he admitted it to himself, he didn't know what it meant. He didn't have feelings for her, he knew that, but this … this seemed so much more intimate than whatever this had started as.

 

He thought forward to the end of the year, and he couldn't imagine not having her anymore, not tasting that heaven between her legs, and not hearing her soft moans when he touched her. He had never expected them to move so fast. Sure he loved her skin against his and the way she writhed against him, but he'd expected her to be the voice of reason, to control their urges in the moment, but she was just as bad as him. When she had stripped for him, and he had pressed against her with only the silk of her knickers and the cotton of his own to keep him from sliding into her, he had almost gone crazy, and she hadn't protested at all. He wondered if she would have let him move the fabric aside and take her if he'd asked. He knew he wouldn't, knew that barrier was one he couldn't cross, but fuck did he think about it all the time.

 

He couldn't believe that Rowan Wood, Gryffindor git of the century had been inside of her, moved in her tight walls, and then ruined it all for some slags who liked his Quidditch skills. Scorpius would kill to have Rose ask him to fuck her, to have her let those damn guards down and say to hell with the rules, but the truth was deep down he knew she was still broken, and she thought the rules somehow kept her safe from him breaking her more. Also, there was the issue of the way she felt in his arms and the content feeling that he had from waking with her in them.

 

She stirred against him as he thought about her, and he leaned down and kissed her nose. Rose opened her eyes, and she took in the sight of him watching her. She looked around him at his room and pulled back slightly. "Did we fall asleep?" she asked, and he nodded. "Oh."

 

"Yeah." He didn't really know what to say because he had no idea how he felt about it or how she felt about it.

 

"I guess" - she looked at the floor where their clothes were - "I should go." She looked back at him, and he shrugged.

 

"You could stay," he told her.

 

She looked at the clock on his bedside. "We missed dinner."

 

"Yeah. I can go get us something in the library," he offered.

 

She looked at him again, and she just stared. "Uhh…"

 

"Are you okay?" he asked, and she ran a hand through that crazy hair.

 

"I don't know."

 

"Okay, What's wrong?"

 

"I don't know … we've never …"

 

"It doesn't mean anything. We just fell asleep," he told her. He could see her mind moving a thousand miles a minute and knew she would run like crazy if she thought they were moving into a territory more like what she had once had with Rowan.

 

"Yeah, I know," Rose told him, but he saw her visibly relax back into the sheets.

 

"Food?" he asked, and she nodded. Scorpius climbed out of bed and moved over to his dresser. He pulled on shorts and a t-shirt and moved into the library.

 

While Scorpius was gone, Rose rifled through his dresser and stole a pair of shorts and a t-shirt for herself. She was not going to be the only naked one. A few minutes later, Scorpius came back with a tray of food and drinks and set it on the bed.

 

"I wonder how much trouble I'm in with Alice," Rose asked after she shoved a biscuit into her mouth.

 

"What do you mean?"

 

"She doesn't like that we're doing this. She thinks I'm going to end up hurt."

 

"So, she wants us to stop?"

 

"Or, do it for real." Rose rolled her eyes.

 

"The horror," Scorpius joked, eating some grapes.

 

"I like this."

 

"I like you in my clothes," he said, and she laughed.

 

"Going to give me your jersey for the next match?" she asked, and he snorted.

 

"I'll catch the Quaffle for you and give it to you after the game."

 

"Sounds magical." She snorted, and they both laughed hard.

 

"We are terrible friends," he told her.

 

"The worst."

 

"They are annoying, though."

 

"Can't stand them," Rose told him with a smile. "Alice told me that they want to move in together after graduation."

 

"What?" Scorpius looked surprised.

 

"I know."

 

"We're going to be at their wedding within the year. Babies in two. Fuck my life."

 

"I'm glad we're on the same page because I kind of wanted to throw up a little in my mouth." Rose shook her head and thought about how badly she had wanted those things to fit with her and Rowan. She didn't feel like that needed to be her plan anymore. She didn't know what it was, but babies and marriage, and living with someone right out of school didn't seem to make sense anymore.

 

XXX

 

The next week, Alice was livid with Rose. She had checked for Rose multiple times Sunday after she had disappeared from the Slytherin party without a word. Alice had even knocked on her door one last time before she went to bed, and Rose wasn't there. She had then complained to Albus, who had already been angry with Scorpius for still messing around with Rose, and because he had to listen to Alice complain about it. Rose and Scorpius both ignored them, because frankly it wasn't any of their business. Alice insisted it was their business to tell them when they were being idiots because they were their best friends.

 

Rose spent as much time as possible in the library studying that week, but she still had to attend classes and Quidditch Practice. She and Scorpius did their rounds each night, and she still disappeared with him whenever they had the chance. They spent their long break that Friday locked in Scorpius' room again, and she didn't even care that it would probably make Alice even more ridiculous.

 

It was two weeks after the Slytherin victory that Rose heard the knock on her door that changed things back to the way they were before. She was writing her father a letter. They had been going back and forth all week about her game against Hufflepuff the next day, and she wanted to get him one last letter before the match. Her dad loved that she had her mum's brains, but Rose knew that this was his favorite thing to write with her about. He was proud of her academic achievements, but when Ravenclaw had won the cup last year, her dad had come to watch the match. She was pretty sure he had never been prouder of her. She loved that they had something they could bond over, something that her mum didn't really understand or want to understand.

 

"Rose?" Alice's voice came softly from the other side of her bedroom door, and Rose set her quill down on her desk. She didn't want to fight with Alice right now, but she was her best friend beside Al, and she couldn't let this go on forever. She pushed her chair back from her desk and walked over to open the door.

 

When she opened it, Alice was standing in front of her biting her nails. They stood there for a few minutes, neither one of them really saying anything, and then Alice spoke. "Can I come in?" she asked, and Rose opened the door wider. Alice walked past her and into the room. Rose shut the door and followed her to sit on her bed. "You left practice pretty quick this morning."  
"Yeah, well … I haven't been wanting to get lectured." Rose stared at the floor and didn't meet Alice's eyes.

 

"I … I'm sorry." Alice reached over and grabbed Rose's hand and squeezed it softly. "I just … it was a lot to process. Everything you told me about Rowan and now Scorpius. It seems so fast to be going from being with Rowan to this thing you have with Scorpius, and you two just seem to be going so ... fast. I just … I just want you to be okay."

 

"It wasn't fast Alice. I told you everything. I told you."

 

"I guess it's just hard to believe. How ... you were with Rowan all that time."

 

"I know, and I thought … we were it, but … honestly, if that's true why did I smell Scorpius in the Amorentia? Why couldn't I stop thinking about him?"

 

"Then how is that just messing around?"

 

"Because that's all I have to give right now, and that's all he wants."

 

"And what if that changes? What if one of you wants more?"

 

"Then it's over. We stop, and we don't look back."

 

"Do you really think you can do that?"

 

"I'll figure it out when the time comes, but Alice, ]I know you are just trying to be a good friend, but I need you to stop acting like you're my mum. I could cast some stones at you and Al, but it isn't my job to police your relationship. It's one thing if I ask your advice, but right now, I don't want it."

 

Alice looked hurt, and Rose knew that what she had said had been abrupt, but she couldn't keep having this conversation with Alice over and over. She was going to keep messing around with Scorpius without dating him, and she didn't really care what Alice or Albus thought about it.  
That sat there in silence for a few minutes until Alice finally spoke. "Okay." She nodded. "I'll keep my mouth shut about it. I'll let you make your own choices unless you ask for my advice."

 

"I love you. You and Al are my best friends."

 

"I know." Alice rested her head on Rose's shoulder. "You're my best friend too."

 

XXX

 

The next day, the Ravenclaw team destroyed the Hufflepuff team in their quidditch match. The final score was 240 - 0. After the party in Ravenclaw tower had died down and Rose had made her way to Scorpius' room, she was very quick to rub it in his face that she had not let the Snitch nearly being caught or his presence in the stands distract her into letting a goal by. He had thrown her down on his bed and not let her taunts ruin their delicious celebration of her victory.  
On Monday, the school woke up to a notification that a Hogsmeade weekend had been scheduled in two weeks, the first weekend in December. "Are you going to go with Al again?" Rose asked Alice as they walked to Charms that morning.

 

"I don't know. I really had fun last time. Maybe the four of us could go again. Or at least meetup?" Rose suspected Alice was trying to make a double date of the day, but she let it go. She did not want to ruin their newly re-established calm.

 

"That sounds like fun. We'll have to ask Poppy and Tamsyn what they are going to do."

 

"Tamsyn is going with George again for sure. I'll check with Poppy."

 

"She and Aaron snuck out of the common room during the party yesterday," Rose told her. "I'm pretty sure they are still very on."

 

"Then it's settled." Alice smiled, and Rose tried to force a smile as week. She would have to make it very clear to Scorpius that she was not the one who had suggested they tag on to Alice and Albus' date.

 

She didn't have the chance to talk to Scorpius about it until before rounds that night. After lunch, he had not come to the library, and then they had Ancient Runes and dinner, followed by Rose's Quidditch Practice. When she got back to her room from practice, she had stripped down and showered, trying to urge some warmth back into her frozen body. The snow and bitter cold had arrived, and they would continue to practice through it until break.

 

She pulled on jeans and a long sleeve shirt with a sweater before making her way to the library to meet Scorpius. He was hunched over an essay when she arrived, sucking at the end of his quill, presumably thinking about what to write next. He looked up at her when she entered and pointed to the kitchen.

 

"There's cocoa." She noticed the steaming cup beside him and went over to pour her own.

 

"Did you hear about our plans?" she asked him as she moved.

 

"Ah, would those be Alice's plans to get us on a date?"

 

"Those would be the ones." She lifted her cup from the bar and walked with it to her blue chair in front of the fire.

 

"Then yes. Al told me after dinner." He picked up his own cup and joined her.

 

Rose curled up in the chair. "I guess this is what I get for telling her she needs to keep her mouth shut. She's going to find backdoor ways of trying to make us get together."

 

"How will we resist falling in love when there are butterbeer and chocolate frogs in our lives?" Scorpius teased, and Rose chuckled into her cocoa.

 

"I think we will just have to fight our way through."

 

"I would much rather deal with Alice trying to set us up than Albus ragging on me every day because she's driving him crazy."

 

"This is much better than the alternative." She took a sip of her cocoa and warmth spread down through her body. "Merlin this is delicious."

 

"My mum taught me how to make it."

 

"You made this?" She raised an eyebrow at him. "I figured the house-elves…"

 

"I can do some things for myself, you know. Sometimes I even put on my shoes and tie them like a big boy."

 

"Oh shut up! I wasn't saying that. It's good cocoa."

 

"Oh, yes you were, but I can accept that you are prejudiced against my family." He gave an exaggerated sigh, and Rose shook her head.

 

"You're a prat."

 

"Well, you're the one going on a forced double date with me … so what does that make you?"

 

"I don't think that makes me anything." She laughed at him.

 

"Yeah, probably doesn't." He shrugged and took a drink.

 

XXX

 

That Friday, Scorpius asked Rose to help him with the new spell they had been practicing in Transfiguration. It was a modification spell that allowed the caster to change small things about their appearance for short periods of time. So far, he had not been successful and the results had been painful, to say the least. Rose, however, had been able to make her ears point at the ends, have her hair fall straight instead of curling out around her, and elongated her nose, all without any side effects.

 

She began by holding his arm as she led him in making the correct movement, and had him do it alone as she watched. "You're moving your whole body, Scorpius. Stand still. Just move your arm." He tried again, and she nodded. "Good." She handed him his wand, and he did it again with it in hand. "Keep your fingers still."

 

"Bloody hell. Why does everything have to be just so for this bloody subject?"

 

"Oh, and Potions is so different?" she asked, a hand on her hip. "Why is it that if I don't use your advice and brew my potions how the book would have me do it then they never turn out quite right?"

 

"That's not the same at all. This is a spell. It should be easy."

 

"It's an N.E.W.T. level spell that most witches and wizards never master."

 

"Ugh." He lifted his arm again, holding his hand firm, moved his arm in towards his body, and rolled it over as he moved it straight out from his body until his arm was perpendicular. He then moved it back towards his body and touched his nose. "Adolesco." He said strongly, and his nose grew, pushing back on his wand.

 

"Perfect," Rose said. "Did it hurt?"

 

"No, it tickles."

 

"That's normal. It will go away after it wears off."

 

"Great. I'll wait for that to happen before I try anything else, I think." He told her as he prodded his nose with his finger.

 

"Good plan," she told him and took her seat at the large table.

 

"So … is this what you're going to do after N.E.W.T.s?" He moved into his seat across from her.

 

"What do you mean?"

 

"Travel the world teaching fellow witches and wizards how to do Transfiguration spells properly?"

 

"Oh … no." She wavd away the idea. "I don't think so."

 

"Well, what is it then?"

 

"What is what?"

 

"The great Rose Weasley plan."

 

"The great Rose Weasley plan?" she asked, her eyebrows furrowed.

 

"Please, Rose. You have to have had your career planned out from the day you started here. What is it you want to do after all of this is over?"

 

"Oh …" She looked down at her Charms essay, which was nearly complete. She wished that Albus and Alice would show up again and distract Scorpius away from this question, but they did not. "I … well, I don't know."

 

"What?" Scorpius wasn't mean or rude about it. He sounded genuinely surprised. "Have you applied for anything?"

 

"No," she told him, shaking her head.

 

"Oh."

 

"Sorry to disappoint." she tried to joke.

 

"I'm just surprised."

 

"Yeah," she huffed. "I suspect most people will be. Can you imagine what they will write about me in those awful papers? DAUGHTER OF AMAZING WORLD SAVIORS RON AND HERMIONE WEASLEY IS UNEMPLOYED AFTER RECEIVING A MILLION N.E.W.T.s BECAUSE SHE CAN'T FIGURE OUT WHAT THE HELL SHE WANTS TO DO WITH HER LIFE." Rose buried her head in her hands in shame. "Merlin aren't I a joke?" She looked back up at him to see him staring at her with an odd expression she didn't really understand.

 

"No one would write that about you."

 

"Are you kidding?" Rose laughed. "My parents have had four offers to pay them for the exclusive on where my first job is going to be."

 

"Seriously?"

 

"Seriously." She pushed her essay away, disgusted by herself, by the world she lived in, and by the work she still needed to do.

 

"That's sick."

 

"That's being a child of the Golden Trio." She forced a fake smile and he frowned at her.

 

"Well, what do you want to do?"

 

"If it was that easy, don't you think I would be doing it?"

 

"No." He put his hand out as if to stop her. "What do you want your life to be like, after all of this." He waved to the books between them. "Is this what you want? Books and research?"

 

"Oh, bloody hell," she exclaimed, and laughed. "No way. I want …" She thought about it for a few minutes, and Scorpius sat silently across from her. "I want to do something exciting. I want to put the books away for awhile, maybe see some of the world. I want to make my own name and not be Hermione Granger's daughter for once in my life."

 

"Well …" Scorpius thought about it. "You could do a lot of things that would give you that, but … well … Rose, I think you would be a really good Auror."

 

"What?" She laughed again at his suggestion, and he raised his hands.

 

"Hear me out! You have all the subjects for it, and you are bloody amazing at them, but especially Defense and Transfiguration. You are a genius with your wand. You pick up new spells more quickly than anyone else. You see me do a spell wrong once, maybe twice and you can correct me, but you also have a knack for wordless and wandless magic that I've never seen before. You are quick and light on your feet. You handle stress and pressure better than most adult wizards I know. You have a desire to be in a field that is meaningful and will allow you to shine in a way that won't be a reflection of your mother, whom everyone has always compared you to. You …"

 

"I get it!" Rose cut in, stopping his reasons. "I get it, but my father was an Auror, and so is my Uncle. He's the head of the department."

 

"So?"

 

"So, people would think I only got in because of that."

 

"People are going to think that regardless of what you do or where you go, but you will prove them wrong."

 

"Oh, will I?"

 

"Of course, you will. We didn't bust our arses for seven years to get here to throw it away on some shit job." He looked at her like she had been thinking about doing just that, and he was going to lose it on her.

 

"Ok, Ok. I guess you might be right."

 

"Of course, I'm right." He reached up and scratched his nose as it started to shrink, and Rose couldn't help but smile at how silly he looked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading. I would love to hear what you think of this chapter!   
> XOXO  
> Meg


	9. Chapter Eight

The morning of their second Hogsmeade visit, Rose was eating breakfast with her girlfriends when the post arrived. An owl dropped a medium sized envelope marked with the official seal of the Ministry of Magic next to her plate and flew off.

 

"What is that?" Poppy asked.

 

"I don't know," Rose told her. She picked up the envelope, eyeing it suspiciously. It was from the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. It took her half a heart beat to realize what Scorpius must have done. "It's probably from Uncle Harry. He must have sent it from work." She pushed the envelope into her bag and tried to will her heart to stop racing and keep her eyes from shooting behind her to glare at Scorpius. Instead, she looked down at her breakfast and forced a bite of her cereal into her mouth and down her dry throat.

 

"Boring. Anyway, you and Scorpius are going on a date today?!" Poppy wiggled her eyebrows at Rose, who stared at her with wide eyes.

 

"What? No, we aren't." Rose huffed and looked over at Alice who was staring down at her plate and very much avoiding Rose's gaze.

 

Poppy smirked. "Well, Alice and Albus are going on a date, and she said that you and Scorpius were tagging along. Sounds like a date to me."

 

"Well," Rose began, mocking Poppy, "it's not."

 

"I don't know, Rose," Tamsyn said sweetly. "I seem to recall the four of you ended up alone last time we went to Hogsmeade, didn't you? So, really this would your second date." She smirked as well, and Rose glared at her.

 

"And, the two of you do spend an awful lot of time alone together. You never know when love will strike," Poppy added, and the two girls broke out in a fit of giggles at the idea of the Head Boy and Girl falling in love.

 

"Oh, Merlin." Rose stood and grabbed her bag. "I wouldn't go on a date with Scorpius if he was the last boy at Hogwarts." She then turned to face Alice who was still avoiding her eyes. "Thank you for all this, Alice. I'll meet you at the entrance in twenty minutes."

 

Rose left the Great Hall and headed straight for the girl's bathroom. She locked herself in one of the stalls and grabbed the envelope from her purse.

 

Dear Ms. Weasley,

 

I am so pleased to hear that you are interested in information about the Auror Office in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Please find enclosed materials that will surely answer any questions you may have.

 

Once you have read through these materials, if you are interested in joining our team, please complete the application included in this packet, and return it to our offices.

 

If you have any questions that are not answered here, please contact me, and I would be happy to answer them for you.

 

Also, per your request for discretion, I have not notified your uncle of your request. I do want to advise you that I will have to do so should you submit an application.

 

Sincerely,  
Serena Pond  
Senior Under Secretary to the Head of the Auror Office

 

"That sneaky little shit,” she muttered, as she briefly looked over the materials enclosed beyond the letter.

 

Rose stuffed the letter back in the envelope and shoved it back into her purse, before she fell down onto the seat and buried her head in her hands. She hadn't done anything more in her job search since she had spoken to Scorpius, but it seemed that he was now taking it into his own hands. What right did he have to tell her what job she should have or request information from the Auror Office for her? What if Harry's assistant had told him and not kept her "request for discretion." She was going to kill that stupid prat.

 

XXX

 

Twenty minutes later, Scorpius was walking down to Hogsmeade with Alice and Albus, who were holding hands, and Rose, who seemed annoyed about something.

 

"Where should we start?" Albus asked the group.

 

"I don't care,” Rose said shortly, and Scorpius glanced over at her confused. They had kissed just that morning against the portrait that led to her bedroom, and she had definitely not been in a mood then. She had tried to distract him into making them both late for breakfast, but he had refused, knowing that they shouldn't both be late when they were already being forced to go on this pseudo date.

 

"Maybe Honeydukes?" Alice suggested, and Albus looked over at Scorpius.

 

"Sure,” he told Albus, and then glanced over at Rose again. She was staring straight ahead as she walked, her arms crossed.

 

They made their way down to the village and headed for the sweets shop first. Once inside, they all wandered apart and shopped, looking at different things. Scorpius wanted to find out what was bothering Rose, so he grabbed some Chocolate Cauldrons, Drooble's Best Blowing Gum, and Liquorice Wands and stuck them in a bag quickly. Afterwards, he made his way to the back of the store where she was standing.

 

"Want me to buy your sweets for you?" he teased, using the crowd as an excuse to push his body against hers.

 

"Don't you dare,” she snapped. "Let's not add any more fuel to the fire." She stepped away from him and towards Alice. He frowned after her. She hadn't even looked at him. What the hell could he have done? She had been fine that morning, and he had clearly been joking about buying her sweets.

 

"Are you ready?" Albus asked, coming up beside Scorpius with a bag of treats.

 

"Yeah." Scorpius held up his bag, and they went to get the girls and stand in line. Albus paid for Alice's bag, and they moved to stand in the front of the store, chatting and laughing while Rose and Scorpius paid for theirs.

 

"Are you okay?" Scorpius asked her when their friends were out of earshot.

 

"No,” she told him as she handed over her money.

 

"What's wrong?"

 

"Nothing." Rose picked up her bag and walked away, leaving him to pay for his candy and fume.

 

They went to the Hogsmeade branch of Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes next, and Rose's sullen mood continued. Albus and Alice remained oblivious as they shopped. Scorpius tried to joke with Rose again, this time about buying her a love potion, but she just glared at him and walked away again. This was some crazy last year crap she was pulling and Scorpius was not pleased. They were friends now. He wasn't supposed to have to deal with cold shoulder, hex your balls off Rose. He got kiss you in the Heads Library and be nice to you in the halls Rose now, and he much preferred her that way.

 

By the time they were walking to the Three Broomsticks, Scorpius had had enough. Alice and Albus were walking hand in hand ahead of him and Rose, who was still walking with her arms crossed down the street, was avoiding him. He held the door open for her as they walked into the crowded pub. 

 

"Order me and Rose butterbeer,” he said quietly to his friend as he dropped a few coins in Al's pocket. His best friend nodded his agreement. 

 

"Come on." Scorpius grabbed Rose's hand, and she tried to resist, but the crowd was already pushing passed her to stand in line behind Albus and Alice. Scorpius continued to pull on her, hoping that their coats and hats and the massive amount of students would keep anyone from realizing too easily that he was pulling Rose Weasley to the back room.

 

"Scorpius!" she hissed, and he just kept walking. "What are you doing?!" she demanded.

 

They passed the bathrooms, and he shoved the storage room door open. He pulled Rose into the room and shut the door, locking it behind him.

 

"What is your problem?" he retorted. "You've been weird all morning."

 

"You seriously have to ask me that?" She threw him another glare. 

 

"Clearly. What the hell could have happened between you shoving yourself on me this morning and giving me the shaft now?"

 

"Shoving myself on you? Shoving? I'm sorry, I thought you liked that. I guess I won't make that mistake again." Her blue eyes were glinting, and he swore he saw sparks in her hair.

 

"That's not what I meant!" he insisted. 

 

"Really? Because that's what you said! I won't disgust you with my -” She was cut off with his lips on hers, his arms wrapped around her waist pulling her into him. She melted against him for half a second and then pushed him away.

 

"You know I bloody like it. Don't make this about something it isn't,” he growled. 

 

"You want to know why I'm angry?" Rose hissed. She dropped her bags on the floor.

 

"Yes." It took everything he had to not make a smart ass comment that would only get him in more trouble. He watched her fumble with the snaps on her purse in furious frustration and then pull out an envelope.

 

She shoved it against his chest, much harder than necessary. "This is why I'm angry."

 

Scorpius took the envelope from her and looked at it. "Oh," he said quietly. He pulled it open and took out the letter and read it. "See? I asked for discretion?"

 

"You wrote them pretending to be me asking for information!" Even her ears were turning red as he watched her. 

 

"Well, we both know you weren't going to." He shoved the letter back in the envelope.

 

"Of course I wasn't!"

 

"But, you were interested when I suggested it."

 

"That doesn't matter! My parents would have a fit."

 

"So?"

 

"And they will know I'm applying."

 

"It's a confidential process in the first place and you ... I … asked for discretion. Harry can't tell them you've applied unless you tell him it's okay talk to them about it."

 

"They are his best friends!" She waved her hands in the air as if this explained everything.

 

"So? This is his job that he takes very seriously." Scorpius knew Rose wasn't dumb enough to think Harry would risk his job over something so stupid. "Plus, he loves you. He wouldn't do that to you."

 

"Well, you shouldn't have done it. It's not your place to decide what I should be doing or get applications for me for jobs."

 

"It was one job, and I knew you wouldn't do it yourself, and you should because you would be amazing."

 

"You're ridiculous."

 

"I'm right, but I'm sorry I went behind your back." His tone softened as he spoke, hoping to bring her back to him. 

 

"Good.” She seemed exhausted with their argument. 

 

"Just look at the information, and think about it." He pulled on her hair. "Is that all that's bothering you."

 

"No." She leaned into him, resting her body against his. "The whole school thinks we're on a date."

 

"So?"

 

"So, I don't really want my parents hearing that either,” she mumbled into his shirt.

 

"You're ashamed of your play toy?" he asked, kissing her head.

 

"No. Yes. I don't know. My dad would have a heart attack."

 

"So would mine." He laughed. "Ron Weasley's daughter."

 

"Then no more fake forced double dates?"

 

"Deal." He pulled her chin up and kissed her. She responded eagerly, the memory of him holding her against the wall that morning rushed back into her mind.

 

Scorpius ran his hand under her jacket and sweater and felt the soft fabric of her bra under his hand. "Well, now I would much rather stay in this stupid storage room,” he muttered against her lips.

 

"I tried this morning,” she said back. She pushed his scarf down his shoulder and moved her lips to his neck.

 

"Tonight, after this farce is over, you're mine." He slid his hand out of her sweater.

 

"Something like that." She smiled as she brushed her hands against the front of his jeans, stroking him.

 

"You are a very mean witch, Rose Weasley."

 

"But, you still want me."

 

"I am a very stupid wizard." He let his lips fall to hers one last time before letting go of her so she could adjust her clothes and bags while he picked up his scarf.

 

He opened the door to the back room and left. Rose shut the door behind him, and he knew she was going to wait a few minutes before following him. He found Albus and Alice sitting at a corner table.

 

“Surprised you found a table,” he told them, looking around at the crowd that had been brought in from the cold.

 

"I threatened to curse some third years. They suddenly decided standing sounded better."

 

"Your Slytherin is showing, Potter," Scorpius said with a laugh, and he sat down in one of the empty chairs.

 

"Rose waiting so it doesn't seem like you were together?" Albus smirked.

 

"She is a neurotic little witch." Scorpius lifted his butterbeer to his lips and took a drink.

 

"Is she going to stop being dreadful company?" Alice asked, wrinkling her nose.

 

"I'm not sure how you two even noticed that." He rolled his eyes at the couple.

 

"We aren't idiots. She's clearly annoyed."

 

"But, it was only half my fault," Scorpius told Alice smugly. "You did the rest forcing us to join you on your date. Rose doesn't want Daddy to think she's dating me."

 

Albus laughed at the thought of Ron Weasley getting that news. "Oh, Merlin. I wish we could tell him you two were dating just for fun."

 

"He would curse Scorpius," Rose said as she pulled off her jacket next to Scorpius. She hung it on the back of her chair and sat next to him.

 

"I'd like to see him try."

 

She shook her head at his cocky attitude. "My dad was an Auror without a single N.E.W.T."

 

"I'm not afraid."

 

"You should be." Rose smiled. "I've seen how he deals with boys he doesn't approve of. It isn't pretty." Scorpius just looked at her, trying to decide if she was serious or not.

 

XXX

 

On Monday, the attention that Rose had been dreading and trying to avoid reared it's ugly head. She saw several groups of girls giggling at her as she walked to the Great Hall for breakfast that morning. It was apparently all over the school that she and Scorpius had gone on a date.

 

"I just want you to know that even though we've been best friends our entire lives, I hate you." She told Alice as they walked past two second year girls who were holding their hands in front of their mouths as they whispered to each other.

 

"I didn't realize it would be this bad," Alice told her. "I'm sorry."

 

"I did." Rose sighed as they walked into the Great Hall. Faces from all four tables turned to stare at her and then back at their friends to talk. "I shouldn't have gone."

 

"Is it really … I mean …"

 

"No." Rose sighed again. "It's not that big of a deal. I just hope my Dad doesn't get wind of this and have a cow." She sat down at the Ravenclaw table, and Alice sat beside her. "Everyone wants us to be dating because it's good gossip. That's all."

 

"Just ignore it. It will be pretty clear that you're not dating when nothing changes."

 

"Yeah. I guess." Rose told her. 

 

As the day progressed, it didn't get any better. In fact, it really just got worse. After Charms, Potions, and Lunch, Rose hid from the gossip in her bedroom. She tried to read a book, but every few minutes her eyes would flick to the envelope on her desk. About an hour into her break, Scorpius knocked from the library.

 

She swung the portrait open, and he was smiling at her. "So, you're my girlfriend now?"

 

She rolled her eyes. "I'm pretty sure that is furthest thing from what you want from me."

 

"True,” he told her. "Well, really I just don't want a girlfriend at all. Way too much work. And, I can't fool around with you if I have a girlfriend."

 

"Great …"

 

"Oh please, you feel the same way."

 

"True." She smiled and looked at him for a minute. "You want to try to come in here?" she asked, and it took him about half a second to cross the portrait opening.

 

"This school trusts us way too much," Scorpius said as he looked around at her room.

 

"I'm convinced this library is the reason my Uncle Harry's Mum finally gave his Dad a chance." Rose laughed at the thought.

 

"I wonder what it was like for our parents. Did they just not use it, or do they really just dislike each other so much that it didn't matter that they were basically living together?"

 

"I don't know. I'm definitely going to ask my Mum about it."

 

"I'll ask my Dad, and we can compare notes,” he joked as he picked up the letter from the Auror Office, looked at it for a minute, and set it back down. "Did you decide yet?"

 

"No." She sat back down on her bed and put her book on the nightstand as she watched him look over the pictures on the back of her door. "Are you just going to stare at my room for the next thirty minutes?" she asked with a grin, and he laughed and turned to walk towards the bed.

 

"Were you hoping I would do something in particular?"

 

"Distract me from thinking about that application or the rumors that we're dating."

 

"I would love to." He moved over her and lowered his lips to hers.

 

XXX

 

A little under an hour later, they were both in Ancient Runes when Colin walked in. He made his way to sit next to Rose like he always did. He was smiling brightly when he said, "Hey, Rose."

 

"Hey, Colin,” she said back as she pulled out her book. "How was your weekend?" she asked, and he nodded.

 

"Really good. I loaded up on treats at Hogsmeade so I'm set."

 

"I think we all did,” she said with a grin.

 

Colin glanced back where Scorpius was sitting behind them staring down at his book and doing his best to ignore the pair chatting in front of him. He lowered his voice and asked. "So, are you two really …"

 

"Oh, Scorpius and I? No! Alice wanted us both to go shopping with her and Albus. It's just a bad rumor. I'm not seeing anyone." Collin visibly relaxed, and Scorpius resisted the urge to punch him in the face.

 

"Oh, good. Well my offer still stands if you ever want a date."

 

"Thanks, Colin. Maybe next visit." She smiled at him again and grabbed his hand. Scorpius could feel his blood boiling. She was flirting, or whatever, with this stupid sod right in front of him. Scorpius was pretty sure it was some sort of ploy to get it around that she wasn't dating Scorpius, but that didn't make it any easier to watch. She was his until the end of the year, and he didn't like the way Colin was resting his arm on the back of her chair, or that she was basically holding hands with him.

 

He was just about to try to say something to the pair when Professor Babbling walked in and the lesson began. Scorpius was forced to watch Colin paw at Rose all lesson as they worked together. Paw was probably a strong word, but he was touching her way more than was necessary for an Ancient Runes lesson, and Rose was letting him.

 

What if she really liked Colin? What if she genuinely wanted to try dating him? What if the rumors were just too much for her, and she wanted to end all of this? Wouldn't she have told him before class instead of snogging him on her bed? Scorpius grabbed his wand and mumbled a charm while holding it to his parchment and then wrote, "Broom Closet" at the place he had touched.

 

After class, Scorpius waited for most of the students to leave, and then grabbed his own bag and walked out of the classroom. When he was sure that he was alone in the hallway, he opened the door to the broom closet and stepped in, shutting it behind him. He waited a few minutes, and then Rose opened the door and came in after him.

 

"This is insane,” she told him, crossing her arms. "You are the most ridiculous …"

 

"Do you want to date Colin Creevey?" Scorpius asked, cutting her off.

 

"No, Scorpius." She rolled her eyes. "I don't want to date Colin, just like I don't want to date anyone else."

 

"Well, then why were you letting him maul you during class."

 

"He was not mauling me,” Rose told him, actually laughing at his words.

 

"And you … you were leading him on. Making him think you wanted to shag him."

 

Rose blushed and looked down at her shoes. "Ok, I did not make him think I wanted to shag him, but I might have …"

 

"Majorly led him on," Scorpius insisted.

 

"Okay, yes, but” - she held up a finger - "I might date Colin, if I wanted to date, so it's not really leading him on. I will probably want to date one day, and maybe I'll let Colin take me out and see what happens."

 

Scorpius growled and pushed her back against the wall. He buried his hands in her curly red hair and pressed his lips hard against hers. She moaned as his tongue slid into her mouth, and his leg moved between hers, pressing against that sweet center of hers he loved so much. He didn't want her going on a bloody date with Colin Bloody Creevey, and he didn't want to listen to her talk about it.

 

MINE, he screamed inside of his head, not daring to say the word out loud, not wanting to face the realities of what it meant. Mine. As long as you will have me. Mine.

 

Instead of claiming her with his words, Scorpius moved one hand down from her hair to rest on her thigh and pushed her skirt up. The feel of her skin under his hand made him groan into her mouth. He moved his lips down her to her jaw and trailed kisses to her neck where he sucked softly at her skin. "Red…" he whispered, trying to put everything he was feeling into that one word, knowing that if she really knew what he was thinking, she would run as fast and as far as her feet could take her because Rowan Fucking Wood had damaged this perfect, beautiful, fiery red goddess, and Scorpius would never forgive him for it. Ever.

 

"Scor…" she responded softly, her voice hitched in between, and she rolled his r in a way that sounded more delicious than anything he had ever heard. Merlin, he fucking wanted her forever, saying his name like that as long as he lived.

 

He fucking loved her and there was going to be hell to pay for it, probably sooner than later, but he didn't care. For now, he was going to bury himself in her red hair and smell the perfect scent of her lavender shampoo and forget that she wasn't really his.

 

MINE, his brain roared again as she scratched her nails down his back.

 

XXX

 

Three nights later, Scorpius was at his Thursday night Quidditch Practice, and Rose sat in front of the fire. She had brought down her quilt, the one her Grandma Granger had made once she had retired and learned to sew. It was full of memories from her mother, her father, and her own childhood. It felt right that she had it laying on her lap as she stared at the application.

 

'Every year the Auror Office receives nearly thirty applications to begin Auror training. On average, we accept one to two candidates a year, but many years we accept none.'

 

Was it worth even applying? Scorpius seemed so sure she was perfect. The more she looked into it, she had to agree. She was actually … excited. But, if she applied, Harry would know. She wasn't sure if that would be good or bad. She was terrified that he would reject her as not good enough, or, worse, let her in because she was family. She knew that he would never really do that second one, but her nerves and her crazy over thinking had convinced her it was a possibility.

 

'Aurors are highly trained, specialists responsible for the protection of our society. The training is extremely difficult and applicants who are accepted into the training may fail to pass the rigorous process.'

 

What if she got in? Would she be to pass character tests? And aptitude tests? And the three year training process? She would be twenty-one years old before she actually had the job.

 

'Any current students accepted into the Auror Training program will not be eligible to begin training until they receive the result of their N.E.W.T exams. Aurors are required to earn Outstanding or Exceeds Expectation N.E.W.T scores in at least five areas. We highly recommend that applicants achieve these in Potions, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Transfiguration, Herbology, and Charms.'

 

What if she didn't get a N.E.W.T in the areas she needed?

 

What if she was accepted, and then they had to turn her away because she failed something?

 

What would her parents think?

 

What would they say?

 

Would they be proud?

 

Or angry?

 

Or disappointed?

 

Or … what?

 

She tried to imagine telling them she had been accepted into the Auror Training program and she couldn't figure what would come next.

 

Rose sighed and lifted her quill. Okay. She put the quill down on the paper. By name, she wrote Rose Minerva Weasley, and she kept on going, trying to control the tremors running down her arm.  
When it was done an hour later, she walked back to her room and put the finished application back on her desk. Sending it would be a battle for another day.

 

XXX

 

The Hogwarts Express was set to take the students back to King's Cross Station on Wednesday, December 20th. It was agreed at the beginning of the month that Rose and Scorpius were not making any plans the previous Saturday except locking themselves in one of their bedrooms and attempting to get enough of each other to tide them over until they were back at Hogwarts over two weeks later.  
It had been a fast and furious December. Most of their Professors seemed to be attempting to bog them down with as much work as possible to ensure no one actually enjoyed their break. Scorpius and Rose were both planning on enjoying their break, and thus filled every moment of their free time doing their extra homework meant for the time they would be with their families.

 

This left them both frustrated. By the time the 17th of December rolled around, Scorpius was dying to have Rose naked again. Life had taken an unexpected and harsh turn for Scorpius when he realized that he was in love with Rose. He knew that their days together were numbered and as easy as it was to pretend that what they had was real when they were locked in their library, or his room, it only took one walk out his bedroom door for him to remember that, in the real world, Rose didn't love him back. In fact, Rose didn't really want to love anyone back. She seemed bound and determined to skate through seventh year without thinking about love at all and then keep on skating for a long while on her own.

 

Scorpius on the other hand now felt like a love sick puppy any time he was around her. He wanted to worship her body and whisper sweet words of adoration to her. Instead, he had to settle for repeating those words over and over inside his head as he pawed her like a proper teenage boy driven by pure lust.

 

On the seventeenth of December, Scorpius hadn't been alone with Rose, outside of homework, in nearly a week. He was so desperate for time with her that he couldn't keep himself from staring at her during lunch.

 

"Scorpius,” Al said about four times and, finally, flung bits of beans at him to get his attention. 

 

"What the hell mate?"

 

"I'm sorry." Scorpius had flicked the beans off his collar and sighed as he pushed his food around with his fork. "What do you need?"

 

"To know what's wrong with you."

 

Scorpius looked down the table. "Not here,” he told Al and stood up, leaving his uneaten lunch behind. Al followed him, grabbing a roll to shove in his mouth as they walked. Scorpius led the way to the dungeons because he didn't know where else to go.

 

"I fucked up,” Scorpius said as he moved down an empty corridor, and Albus stopped.

 

"What did you do to her?" He asked, and Scorpius laughed.

 

"Nothing. I swear." He held his hands up.

 

"Then what …" Albus just looked at him confused.

 

"I fell for her,” Scorpius told him, and Al just stared.

 

"Like you … you …"

 

"Love her," Scorpius said out loud for the first time. He fell back against the wall of the empty corridor.

 

"Uh …" Al just kept staring and Scorpius shook his head.

 

"Thanks for the help mate."

 

"Are you sure?"

 

"What?" Scorpius laughed at him. "Am I sure? Yes, I'm fucking sure."

 

"Oh." Al shoved his hands in his pockets and looked down the hall back towards the Great Hall. "Have you told her?"

 

"Hell no,” Scorpius hissed. "She would be gone so fast, I wouldn't even see her running."

 

"Really? I mean … maybe …"

 

"Even if she does have feelings back for me, Rowan did a good number on her Al. She doesn't want to date right now. At all. Anyone."

 

"She's basically already dating you! I mean I don't have the details, but I'm pretty sure you guys have progressed far enough from the way Alice talks, and you're always together. You study together and hang out on your breaks. From the way you look at her you can't keep your hands off each other when you're alone. That's dating in my book."

 

"Yeah, well, your book doesn't really matter." Scorpius ran a hand through his hair. "There's also your Aunt and Uncle and my Dad. She's convinced they would all lose their shit if they heard we were together in any way."

 

"Yeah … Well … probably."

 

"Can you just pretend for five seconds this is any other girl?" Scorpius asked, clearly frustrated. "What would you say?"

 

"If this was any other girl? I would say go for it. Give her time, keep doing what you're doing, and she will come around, but Scor" - he shook his head and continued - “this isn't any other girl. This is Rose, and the ramifications of you two together … it could really blow up our families a bit."

 

"So what are you saying? I should cut my losses? Stop messing around with her and go after some other skirt?" Scorpius knew that was probably the end game here, but he didn't want that. He wanted any other option than that.

 

Albus sighed and shook his head again. "Give her time, keep doing what you're doing, and she will come around. Get in good with Hermione. She'll take care of Ron."

 

"Really?" Scorpius looked at his best friend with wide eyes.

 

"Really. Our dad's manage to sort of get along somehow. I'm sure you guys will all figure it out." Scorpius knew his smiled was forced, but he appreciated the effort.

 

"Oh, and Scor," Al chuckled, “you better brush up on your wizard's chess, mate. Rose's family is crazy about that shit. Rowan was awful at it. Drove Ron crazy."

 

XXX

 

Fifteen minutes later, Scorpius was in his room waiting for Rose. He knew that she had still been sitting at the Ravenclaw table when he had gotten up with Albus, and she was probably actually eating her lunch and not just shoving it around her plate. He figured she would still be awhile, but to his surprise he heard her approaching shortly after he had arrived and propped his portrait to the library open for her.

 

She crossed library to his room and climbed up next to him on his bed. "You okay?"

 

He put the book he'd been reading, one of the many that Ollivander had sent him to read that year, on the bedside table and put an arm around her. "Yeah, why?"

 

"I saw you leave with Al. You didn't eat anything."

 

"I'm fine. I just needed to talk to him." Scorpius leaned down and brushed his lips against hers softly, feeling a soft flame settle in his stomach.

 

"Aren't you still hungry?" she asked, resting one hand on his chest.

 

"Not for my lunch,” he teased, kissing her again just as softly.

 

"Oh, well …" Rose moved to climb into his lap, facing him. "What are you hungry for?"

 

"Do I really have to answer that?" He ran his hands up her hips, her sides, and to her back.

 

"Yes." She smirked as she undid one of the buttons on his shirt. "I want to make sure you get exactly what you need."

 

"I'm hungry for these." He pulled her down to him and tasted her lips. "And these." He pulled back, just enough to be able to whisper against her mouth as one hand moved to cup one of her breasts. He squeezed it softly and then abandoned it to slide the same hand down and unbutton her jeans. His hand moved under the fabric there, and his finger found her wet and waiting. "And this." He moved his fingers inside of her, and she rocked against them. Scorpius moved his mouth to her ear as his fingers made her breath grow faster. "I'm hungry for you, Rose Weasley," he whispered in her ear. "All of you." He knew that she would think he meant her body, and he did, and he was, but he was hungry for so much more that that also.

 

"Well,” she replied, her voice just as soft as his, "it's a good thing we have all day."

 

XXX

 

On Tuesday night, Rose could hardly believe that she was packing to go home for Christmas. It felt like her seventh year had just begun, and it was nearly half over. As she decided what to take home and what to leave, the application for Auror Training stared at her. She had filled it out twelve days ago and there it sat, waiting, staring at her, judging her.

 

She knew Scorpius had noticed it sitting there, addressed and ready to go, but he hadn't mention it, which she appreciated. She knew that she wanted to send it. She knew that if she didn't send it, she would regret it, but every time she walked over to the desk to grab it and take it to the owlery, she chickened out and left it there to stare some more.

 

As Rose packed her clothes, and her books that she had read and would leave at home, and a few books that she would try to finish over break, and her chess set, and her homework, the letter stared and did not relent. It's time, Rose. It seemed to say, over and over calling her, pushing her to be brave, to find the Gryffindor that must be lurking behind her intelligence and wit.

 

When Scorpius came to get her for their Heads Rounds that night, her bag was packed and the letter was still staring.

 

"Ready?" he asked, and she looked over at the letter and sighed.

 

"Yeah … but … will you help me with something?" Rose walked over to her desk and picked up the envelope. "Go to the owlery with me to send this?"

 

Scorpius stammered before saying, "Sure," while Rose smiled.

 

"You seem as nervous as I am,” she teased him, and he smiled back.

 

"I just know it's a big decision. I'm happy for you." He walked over to her desk and pulled her in to kiss her. She ran and hand up his chest and behind his neck to pull him deeper into her.

 

"I wouldn't have done it if you hadn't ordered the information for me,” she told him, staring at the clip on his tie. "Thank you."

 

"You're welcome." He led the way out of her room and out of the library. She followed, clutching the envelope tightly. They walked in silence, both of them lost in thoughts that they couldn't share with the other. When they finally reached the owlery, Rose called down her owl and handed him a few treats. She then tried to tie her letter to his leg, but her hands were shaking badly.

 

She felt Scorpius come up behind her and his hands slide down her arms. "I got it." He took the string from her to finish knotting it.

 

"Serena at Uncle Harry's Office,” Rose told her owl. He hooted softly and took off, leaving Rose standing with Scorpius, hoping that she had done the right thing.

 

Scorpius took her hand again and pulled her into him. "You need to calm down,” he told her and kissed the corner of her mouth. "You are very tense." He kissed the other side. "I don't like seeing you like this." He pressed his mouth against hers, and she wrapped her arms around him and let herself be distracted from her owl flying away with her future by the sexy Slytherin in front of her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading. I would love to hear what you think of this chapter!   
> XOXO  
> Meg


	10. Chapter Nine

Scorpius and his mother walked into the restaurant at half past eight in the evening. She had come to meet him at the platform, and he had lifted her from it to hug her as she laughed. "Put me down," she told him, but she playfully slapped his arms away, and he knew that she had missed him as much as he had missed her.

“Astoria.” The small, round woman who was clutching his mother's face and kissing her had short, curly white hair and a large smile. "So good to see you, love. And, Scorpius!" She moved over to him, kissed both of his cheeks and took a step back to look at him. "You are slaying all the girls at Hogwarts, I think."

Scorpius chuckled softly, and his mother looked at him with sharp eyes. "He better not be, Venetia. He needs to focus on his N.E.W.T material this year. Girls can come later."

"Oh, your mother doesn't need to know." The woman touched his nose with one wrinkled finger. "She has forgotten what it is like to be young and in love."

"I hope she hasn't." Draco Malfoy approached the group and pulled his wife into his arms. Scorpius watched his mother smile widely before her husband kissed her softly. "I believe we are still quite young and in love,” he teased her as they moved apart. Scorpius knew that his parents had been lucky to fall in love. Draco Malfoy's parents had been eager to marry him off to one of the daughters of the sacred twenty-eight, and Astoria's parents had been willing. Their marriage had been arranged and had been a disappointment to the Malfoy's nearly from the beginning.

"Dad," Scorpius said as his father hugged him.

"How have you been?" The older man asked as Scorpius nodded.

"It's been a good year."

"Good. You're going to tell me about it, but now let's go eat." The main dining area was small and only held about fifteen tables, but Draco walked past them and led the way back to a smaller room where Scorpius' family had always had dinner his first night back from Hogwarts. The restaurant was a tradition the three Malfoy's inherited when Draco married Astoria, who had been eating there with her family her entire life.

Scorpius walked into the room behind his father and took a seat at the table set for three. There was already champagne bubbling in a glass in front of his plate, and he took a sip as his father helped his mother to sit down and took the final chair. Not a moment later, their bowls filled with steaming soup.

"This smells amazing," Scorpius told his parents as he lifted his spoon.

"I believe Venetia had Atticus make it just for you, dear," Astoria told him and then sipped her own champagne.

"They always spoil you your first night back." Draco shook his head.

"They are family,” Astoria insisted. "They love him." She looked at him with the adoration of a mother that plainly asked who would not love her son.

"Speaking of family …" Draco began, and Scorpius saw his mother's eyes flash dangerously as she shook her head.

"Is that … now?" she asked, and Draco nodded.

"It's been long enough."

Astoria set her spoon down and dabbed at her mouth gently. She put her hands on her lap and Scorpius saw that her entire body seemed to tense.

"What did Grandmother and Grandfather do now?" Scorpius asked, knowing this was an attitude that his mother saved for only two people in their family. Astoria had raised Scorpius to be open, loving, and largely unbiased. She had been roundly punished for it by the Malfoy's who disagreed with her parenting in more ways than one. His father, who loved his parents and his wife, had been often stuck in the middle of their arguments as referee, attempting to placate everyone.

Scorpius had a decent relationship with his grandparents despite this. He usually spent at least a week traveling with them in the summer and a couple days with them during the winter holidays. He found that if he avoided the topic of his friends, life with them was easier, but he loved them in spite of their … eccentricities. They would, for example, never in their lives approve of him dating, or bedding, Rose Weasley. She was a blood traitor in their eyes and no amount of talk would convince them otherwise.

"They didn't do anything,” Astoria said. "Well, now you've done it,” she said in a snappish tone to her husband. "Get on with it."

"My mother,” Draco paused, took a long drink of his champagne and forged ahead, “she's dying, Scorpius."

"Oh, Draco." Astoria shook her head, and sighed at her husband's lack of tact. Her eyes fell on her son. Scorpius was staring open mouthed at his father, as if he had just grown a second head.

"What?" Their son spit out, staring between the two of them, confused, and then his eyes settled on Astoria. "What do you mean long enough? How long have you known?" Astoria reached out to grab his hand, and Scorpius pulled it back. "How long?"

Draco cleared his throat. "September."

"Sep … you … September?" He glared at his father now, his mind racing, but no clear thoughts making their way to the surface.

"We didn't want to owl you, love," Astoria said gently.

"We wanted to tell you in person," Draco added.

"Narcissa” - Scorpius could tell his mother was forcing herself to not spit out his grandmother's name with disdain like she would if he was not present - "didn't want us to tell you at all. She's worried it will distract you from your studies."

"From my … are you bloody fucking kidding me?" Scorpius asked them both loudly. "My studies?"

"Scorpius!" Astoria snapped. "Language."

"You don't get to lecture me about language when you've both just dropped this on me,” he snapped back. "What is wrong with her?"

"It's cancer."

"Well, that's curable," Scorpius said with disgust. He knew that Muggle maladies were treatable. Everyone knew that.

"It's …" Draco seemed to pause again to think of how to progress. "Not. She had it before. Twice. It keeps coming back, and this time … it's not going away. The Healer's aren't sure what to do. They even considered sending her to a Muggle physician, but …"

"Your grandparents won't go," Astoria finished, and every bit of bitterness she felt towards them was clear in her tone.

"They are old and scared,” Draco insisted. "They've convinced themselves that a Muggle would kill her." Draco had met with Hermione three weeks before, and she had given him information on the best physicians in England for this type of thing. He had tried to persuade his parents that they were a safe option, that no one would do anything that they didn't want to be done, but they wouldn't listen. In the end, his mother had thrown the paper with the names in their fireplace, and he had stormed off.

"Their bigotry is going to kill her,” Astoria insisted. "She is never going to see Scorpius graduate, or finish his training, or get married, or have babies."

"Graduate?" Scorpius asked as his face drained of all color.

"We don't know that for sure," Draco said quickly.

"But it's … possible?" Scorpius asked.

"Yes," Draco said plainly. "She's … not doing well."

Scorpius stared at his soup, suddenly not hungry at all. "I have to go." He pushed himself back from the table and both of his parents stood with him.

"Son."

"Scorpius …"

"No," he said softly. "I have to … go. I'll see you later." Scorpius walked back out of the small room and into the main area of the restaurant. He walked past Venetia without a word, even though she tried to stop him and ask what was wrong. He had barely made it into the small apparition room before he turned on the spot and vanished.

XXX

Rose wrapped herself in the comfort of a warm blanket with a cup of cocoa resting in her hands. Her mother had made it for them all to enjoy as they played chess that night. It was a tradition. Each year, she and Hugo would leave their trunk unpacking for the next day with the exception of their chess sets. Those they would pull out and set up in the kitchen with hot chocolate. As Rose sipped at the warm liquid, she sighed. It tasted like home and love.

"I missed you guys," she told her parents for the third time that night. Hugo was currently holding his own against Ron at the kitchen table as she and her mother watched the battle from the counter. They could hear the chessmen as they spouted out their own advice to their trusted leaders and taunts to their old, familiar enemies across the board.

"So you've said." Hermione grinned at her from over her own cup. "Seventh year getting you down?"

"Not down, just …"

"It's exhausting?" Hermione offered, and Rose nodded.

"Very. Scorpius and I have been working on homework or doing rounds or at a meeting or at Quidditch Practice every moment of the day it feels like."

"That sounds about right. Minus the Quidditch. I never played, and Malfoy sat that year out," Hermione told her daughter.

"Scorpius and I were wondering how you two handled the library," Rose asked softly, not wanting her father to realize that they were talking about Scorpius' dad.

"What do you mean?" Hermione's brow furrowed.

"Well, we use it all the time. It has made it hard to not get along. Did you just not use it?"

"We …" Hermione thought back to her time with Draco in the library. It had been tense and awkward at first. They had been silent most of the time, sitting across the table ignoring each other. It was their nightmares that finally brought them together. Hermione had woken up one night after a particularly graphic remembrance of the torture that had left her blood status permanently etched into her arm and gone out to the library. She had known that she wouldn't be able to sleep after that, not for awhile at least, so she had made herself some cocoa, just like this, and wrapped herself up in her red armchair.

It had been about twenty minutes later when Draco had walked in, bleary eyed and headed for the table. He'd stopped when he'd seen her, apologized, and headed back for his dorm. She had stopped him and offered him a drink. They hadn't started spilling their hearts out or anything, but slowly they wore down each other's walls until they were eventually, unsure of how it had happened exactly, friends. "We did."

"And?"

"And, what do you want to know?"

"You didn't talk or anything?" Rose asked, wondering why this was like pulling teeth.

Hermione glanced over at Ron. She could tell he was engrossed in his game. He was snorting at something Hugo had said as he directed his Knight to destroy a Bishop. "We did."

Rose narrowed her eyes at her mother, suddenly wondering if she was hiding something devious and way too close to what she had with Scorpius. "Mum … did you and Mr. Malfoy shag?"

"Oh, my … no!" Hermione hissed, and she knew that even though she was a grown woman, probably the next Head of the Department of Law Enforcement, she was blushing. Rose laughed, loudly, and her father turned his attention to them.

"What am I missing?" He asked with a grin, and Hermione shook her head.

"Nothing, dear,” she said sweetly and Ron looked at her suspiciously. "Girl stuff,” Hermione insisted as she moved off her stool and walked over to kiss her husband. "I love you," she told him.

"I love you," he responded, pulling her down into his lap to kiss her again.

"Oy, Dad, we have a game to play here," Hugo insisted, throwing his hands into the air.

"Hermione, how dare you distract me. We have a game to play here,” Ron told her sternly. She kissed him one last time while she grinned and rose from his lap.

"Sorry, boys," Hermione told them as she moved back to the counter to grab her drink. "Let's go in the other room,” she suggested to Rose with a nod of her head. Rose followed her with her blanket and her mug. She settled herself next to her mother on their couch a minute later, happy to be closer to the fire.

"So, no shagging," Rose said after they were both situated.

"No shagging," Hermione said shaking her head. They had never even been close to shagging. There was one moment, one second where something might have happened, and Hermione would never forget it. It was April of her seventh year, and she and Draco were working on their Transfiguration homework. McGonagall was acting as Headmistress and teaching that year, and she was more strict than they had ever seen her. They spent many nights huddled close, pouring over essays or books or watching each other transfigure themselves and objects over and over again. That night they were working on an essay about transfiguring animals into different animals. Such as a rat into a ferret, which was the exact example Hermione had used in her essay. She had told Draco her plan, and she had laughed. He had glared at her until she stopped laughing and took on a properly ashamed face. She had apologized and reached in to hug him for the first time. He had turned his face and captured her lips with his, and it had been … electric. It only happened that one time. She was in love with Ron, and he was on his way to a betrothal with Astoria, and they had both agreed it should never happen again, and it hadn't. "We kissed once," Hermione told her, feeling her neck and cheeks blush again.

"What? You kissed him?!"

"Well, I rather think he kissed me actually, but it was only one time, and it never happened again. I was already in love with your father."

Rose stared at her mother, her jaw dropped open. "You kissed him?!" she asked again. "Does dad know?"

"Yes. Dad knows. He doesn't have any room to talk after he spent sixth year attached at the face to … another girl." It was too painful for Hermione to say her name as she saw Lavender's dead body before her, as if it had just happened yesterday.

"Why have you never told me this?" Rose was indignant now. She had always assumed that her mother disliked and generally disapproved of Mr. Malfoy just as much as her father.

"You have never asked," Hermione said slyly. "You were too busy hating Scorpius to care much about what I thought of his father in my seventh year."

"What did you think of him?" Rose asked, and Hermione realized that this was the moment. If she was going to tell her daughter about her lunches with Draco, this was the time, but she couldn't. She didn't.

"We were fine. I don't hold any animosity towards him. Mr. Malfoy was just a scared child when I knew him, and we both did things and lived things we should never have had to." Rose frowned at this and for the first time, she really tried to imagine what Hogwarts would be like after watching her friend's die, after fighting against people trying to kill her. It wasn't possible to even comprehend. "And, you and Scorpius? I haven't received a single owl this term that you tried to hex him. I'm very surprised and pleased."

"Yea, well, Neville threatened to take my badge."

"Oh, is that why you've suddenly become his friend?"

"No .. we …" Rose didn't know what to say. "We've just realized we have a lot more in common than we thought." She shrugged, and Hermione nodded.

"I knew that must be it." She smiled brightly, and they both turn towards the window as there was a tapping of an owl. "Who would be owling now?" Hermione asked confused. "I hope it's not work." She sighed heavily and set her drink down before making her way to open the window. Rose recognized the owl that entered immediately, and her heart jumped into her throat as her mother removed the envelope from her leg. Hermione turned to face her, arm outstretched. "It's for you."

Rose set her mug down and moved towards her mother to grab the envelope from her. She opened it and pulled out a small brown paper wrapped package and a letter.

I really need to see you. Please come as soon as you can.

She turned over the letter as Hugo and her father walked in from the kitchen. "I have to go," Rose told them.

"Is something wrong?" Ron asked, moving across the room, towards her.

"I don't know. It's a friend,” Rose said. "It seems important. I'll let you know."

"Who is it?" Hermione asked as Rose began to open the package. Before she could answer, her fingers touched the small rock enclosed in the brown paper, and she felt the familiar pull of a portkey.

XXX

Rose landed on two feet in the kitchen of what appeared to be a half furnished flat. It was dark, but there was enough light shining through the windows that she could see Scorpius sitting back against the lower cabinets. His legs were extended out from his body, and his hands were resting in his lap, holding a bottle. He had looked up at her as she landed, and his eyes were silver in the moonlight. She moved over to him and sank down to the floor.

"Where are we?" she asked softly, and he snorted.

"This is my flat." His hands moved to allow him to take a swig from the bottle and then offer her the drink. She took it and glanced at the label, Firewhisky.

"Are you pissed?"

"No," he told her. "I don't drink alone. I was waiting for you. Hoping you would like to get pissed with me."

"You had me leave my parents on the first night back to drink with you?" she asked him uncertainly. That wasn't like him at all.

"Yes, and distract me."

"From what?" She put a hand on his chin and moved his face to look at hers.

"My parents told me tonight that my grandmother is dying."

"Oh, my … Scorpius … I'm so sorry."

"Yeah, it sucks, but you know what is worse?" He shook his head. "The healers want her to go see a muggle physician, and she won't go."

"She won't go?" Rose asked confused, not sure why anyone would refuse to see a healer. "Does she not want to get better?"

Scorpius snorted again, and Rose was starting to feel annoyed. "Narcissa and Lucius Malfoy are worried that a muggle physician will kill her."

"What?" Rose asked, not even sure how else to respond. This thinking was so ridiculous, so foreign from what she was used to.

"That is how insane my family is Rose. My grandparents literally believe that her dying is better than letting a muggle help them."

"That's …"

"Insane?"

"How did you … not … you aren't …" She couldn't think of a nice way to say that he was a giant git about her being a half-blood.

"My mum."

"Oh."

"Get pissed with me, Red." Scorpius pulled her into him and kissed her. She could taste the Firewhisky on his lips as her tongue slid over them.

"I don't know if this is a good idea,” she told him, but she already knew she was going to do it.

"It's an awful idea,” he agreed, “but, I don't give a fuck."

She lifted the bottle from the floor and took a long pull from it. "Fuck." It burned it's way down her throat. Scorpius took the bottle back from her and took another drink.

"How did you get a flat?" Rose asked, and she took the bottle back from him.

"I'm rich," he said flatly. "I bought it last summer because my mother insisted on being able to renovate and decorate while I was at school this year."

"Oh…" Rose didn't have any money. Her parents were pretty well off she figured, but she couldn't imagine them ever just giving her the money to buy a flat.

"Want the tour?" He asked and took another drink.

"Yes." He stood and held his hand out to her, which she took and used to pull herself up.

"This is my kitchen." He waved his arms at the room. He walked the short distance to another empty room and handed her the bottle back. The stone of the kitchen and dining area had ended, giving way to hardwood. "This is the living room. I'm getting a big ass Muggle television, and I'm putting it here." Scorpius pointed to a large blank space on the wall, and Rose laughed.

"Good to know."

"I'm going to have my grandparents over, and we'll put one of those medical dramas on, and I'll tell them how they are being gits." Rose kissed him again and sighed.

"I'm sorry,” she said again.

"Come on." He led her back to a hallway and ignored her sympathy. "Bathroom." He pointed her to one door. "And, this is the second bedroom." They walked into a small room. The hardwood continued into the room, there was a small closet, and a window that looked out at twinkling lights of other buildings.

"It's nice."

"Come see my room." He grabbed her hand and pulled her behind him to the door across the hall. The larger bedroom was clearly not done, but it at least had a bed and a dresser. There was a pile of sheets and blankets sitting on the mattress. Scorpius' trunk was at the foot of the bed unopened.

"It's a nice place," she told him.

"I like it because it's mine," he replied, and she saw him touch the walls and breath deep and slow. She took the bottle from him and took another long drink from it before she set it on the dresser.

"I like it, too." She lifted her wand and waved it at the pile of linens on his bed. They flew into the air and fluffed before falling back onto the bed, wrapping themselves around the corners. Rose climbed up onto the bed and moved into the center.

Scorpius just stared at her. "Rose," he said finally. "Are you pissed?"

"No," she told him. "But, I'm feeling it."

"Good." Scorpius climbed up beside her and moved his body over hers. She smiled as he leaned down over her, and his lips found her ear. His breath was hot and heavy against her skin. "I need you to know that if you stay here in this bed tonight, I'm going to take all of your clothes off and kiss every inch of your body until you have been properly worshipped, and I'm going to bury myself inside of you like I've been wanting to do every day for the past year and a half,” he whispered into her ear, and Rose shuddered beneath him and became very still.

"You want to … to …"

"I want to make love to you," Scorpius growled as the words slipped from his lips, floating into her ear as he felt fear wash through him. He hadn't had nearly enough to drink to deal with her rejecting him now. Not tonight. Tonight he needed to have her help him bury how crazy his stupid family was deep down inside of him as he discovered what it felt like to have her entirely.

"Scor …" She ran her fingers from his back to his hair and tugged him back up from her ear to look at her eyes. "Are you … what are you saying?"

Scorpius looked down at her lying beneath him. Her red curls were splayed on his pillow, and her cheeks were pink. Her brilliant blue eyes stared up at him, holding behind them thoughts he couldn't begin to guess at. He loved her. He knew that. He'd known for weeks, and he had tried to play it cool, keep doing what they were doing, but he didn't need Rose to be his shag buddy tonight. He needed her to be his lover, someone who trusted and cared for him, someone who could ground him to something that made sense. "I love you," he whispered, barely able to hear his own words as they escaped his lips.

Rose didn't speak in response. She pulled his head down to hers and kissed him softly. Her lips lightly feathered over his. The taste of Firewhisky mixed with the scent of sandalwood and cinnamon, and she let out a soft sigh against his lips.

Scorpius didn't know what to do or what to think. She was kissing him. He'd told her, and she wasn't running. She wasn't leaving. She didn't slam the door behind her as she put as much distance between them as possible. He let his weight move down over her, and he opened his mouth to savor hers. She tasted like Firewhisky and chocolate, and it was perfection.

"Scor,” Rose whispered, enjoying the feeling of him over her, his body grounding her as her heart raced, threatening to explode out of her chest. He loved her. Scorpius Malfoy had just told her that he loved her, and fuck if she didn't like hearing him say those words. She did. She didn't know how she felt about him or those words. It was … complicated, and there was no way she could figure that out right now. Not tonight, maybe not ever, but she also couldn't make herself push him away, leave his bed, never look back. She needed to have this with him, this night, this intimacy as they lay fully clothed in his bed, their lips softly caressing.

Scorpius ran his hands up her sides, feeling her press her chest up into him as he moved, trying to memorize her body. He couldn't believe they were doing this. He couldn't believe they were still here. He had told her he loved her, and they were about to break one of her rules, and she wasn't running. She was right beneath him, and she wasn't going anywhere.

Rose moved her shaking hands nervously down from his hair, past his neck and shoulders to rest on the first button of his shirt. She felt silly for being so nervous. Scorpius had seen and touched and tasted every inch of her body, but this step still felt like something different. Deciding to stay after he'd told her that he loved her, after he told her what he was going to do to her, was different. The slow way their bodies were moving, the light brush of their lips, all of it was different from the hard, fast way they usually collided, trying to find release in each other as fast as possible. This was so, so, so different.

Scorpius lifted his body from hers and let her fumble with his buttons. He could feel her fingers shaking. He could see the determined focus in her eyes as she nervously licked her lips. Things had changed for her, too. Part of him wanted to stop her, to talk, to make sure that she was really okay with the words he had whispered, but a much larger part of him was unable to even consider it. So, he kept his thoughts to himself as she slowly moved from button to button.

When she finally pulled the final white button from the final hole, Rose slid her hands back up his chest, pushing the fabric apart as she moved up to his shoulders. She met his eyes as the fabric began to fall down his arms, but he broke the contact to finish pulling his shirt off, and then it was his turn.

Scorpius bent his knees so that he was at her waist, and he looped his thumbs under each side of her shirt. As he exposed her stomach inch by inch, he dipped down to kiss her soft skin. She sighed, and he heard a rumble in her throat as his tongue ran between the mounds of her breasts, ignoring them as he continued his way up, lifting the shirt over her head.

Rose pulled her wand out of the pocket of her jeans, and Scorpius lifted an eyebrow at her. She blushed softly as she pressed it against her abdomen. A soft glow spread across her stomach and vanished.

"What was that?" Scorpius asked, stunned by the move. She surely didn't learn that at Hogwarts.

"It's a charm. I learned it when …" She stopped talking, not wanting to bring up Rowan, not now, not during this. He didn't belong in this night.

"Oh, so …"

"So, I won't get knocked up." Rose chuckled, and Scorpius' face flushed.

"Probably a good thing."

"Probably," Rose agreed, nodding up at him. She set her wand on his empty nightstand. Scorpius leaned down again, feeling her bare skin on his, loving the way her body shivered as his one hand roamed, wanting to touch all of her. His lips fell on her neck, and she made soft, sweet noises as he licked and bit at the spot that always made her crazy.

Rose moved her hands down Scorpius' chest as he sucked at her throat. She found the button of his trousers and popped it open. She began to push them down, but Scorpius had to pull back from her to help her finish the job, and then he was naked and on top of her, and she was desperate to be the same. While Scorpius worked on her jeans, she moved two hands behind her back and unclasped her black bra quickly, discarding it to the side just before he finished revealing her long legs. He moved back up for her knickers, and she lifted her bum from the bed, making it as easy as possible for him to remove them.

Scorpius wanted to take his time, to be slow and seductive, but he was quickly losing his patience. His cock was hard, and she was rubbing her legs together like there was a fire burning between them that only he could extinguish. He removed them quickly, tossing them off the bed and moved back over her, resting his hand at that sweet spot at the apex of her legs. His fingers slid easily inside of her, welcoming him in as she sighed at the tiny amount of relief they provided.

"Don't tease me," she told him, causing him to laugh.

"I just want to make sure you're ready,” he told her, trailing kisses down her jaw.

"That's very noble, Scorpius, but if you don't get inside of me, I'm going to take control and do it myself." She pulled on his hand, moving it to her mouth to suck on his fingers. The sight of her eyes closing, the sound of her moan, and the warm moisture of her mouth as she tasted herself on his fingers was enough to convince him that this was not the time to be a gentleman. Scorpius took his hand back from her and wrapped it around his shaft as she parted her legs and arched against him. She rubbed against his tip, and he plunged down, filling her, hissing at the incredible tightness that engulfed him.

It was heaven.

Pure, fucking, bloody, amazing, heaven.

He buried his face in her hair, desperate to surround himself with her lavender scent, and she moaned against his ear. "Yes," she told him. "Yes. Yes. Yes."

She bucked her hips up and into his, and he pulled back until just his tip was inside of her and pushed forwards again. Rose hissed as her body shifted to accept him, a small bit of pain mixing with an incredible amount of pleasure. He had probably been right about making sure she was ready, but fuck did he feel good inside of her. She dug her nails into his back, trying to find something to hold on to. In this moment, it was hard to remember a time or a place or a thing she had wanted more that Scorpius filling her so completely.

He moaned as she scratched at his skin, as if this was the most incredible sensation in the world, and he grabbed her hips, as he continued to bury himself inside of her. "Harder,” Rose breathed, and Scorpius didn't need to be told twice. He pulled one of her legs up to rest on his arm and rocked against her hard and fast, watching her head tilt back, and her eyes close in pleasure. He was doing this. He was making her feel this way, and she was making him burn a low, slow burn that filled his body and lit his skin on fire. He no longer cared what was going to happen tomorrow, or next month, or next year. All he knew was that he needed her now, and she seemed to need him too.

She was breathing hard, panting as he rocked into her, and she bucked her hips up to meet his thrusts. Her body was on fire. Her heart was beating so quickly so couldn't believe it was still working. Her mind was gone, lost somewhere along the way as the only thing that mattered was that he kept thrusting against her. Rose could feel the small burn that had spread across her body start to float to the place where he was filling her, collecting there in a pool of deep flame. She moaned as he shifted, pulling her other leg higher as he pushed deeper inside of her. Her hand moved down from his shoulder without a conscious thought and moved between their bodies, finding the soft nub that his thumb loved so much. She spun circles around it as he whispered words of adoration mixed with profanity, and she just tried to stay sane and present. The fire roared and she felt something shift inside of her, and she was screaming his name, "Scorpius," without a care in the world as the fire rushed back across her body in waves.

Scorpius felt her tighten around him, felt the waves of her orgasm as they rocked across him, pulling him deeper. He lasted another two thrusts into her before he was spilling inside of her, feeling his body shake as his own pleasure made him moan. He let his body fall down onto her, supporting his weight with one arm, and she kissed him softly as she laid with eyes closed beneath him and tried to remember how to breathe normally.

Scorpius rolled off of her and fell onto his back. One of her hands moved up to rest on his chest and he grabbed it. "Fuck," he said quietly.

"Yeah,” she replied. Her heart was still racing, and her mind was still running slow from a mixture of Firewhisky and sex.

"You're amazing."

Rose rolled to her side and kissed his chest. "I can't stay," she told him softly. "My parents will worry."

"Do they know you're with me?" He pushed a curl behind her ear.

"I don't know. Probably not." She kissed his chest again, wanting to feel close to him.

"Then lie. Say Alice needed you, or Poppy, or Al, or anyone that wouldn't shag you. Stay." He kissed her hand.

"I can't. I … really want to."

"You're an adult."

"Living in their house. Still in school."

Scorpius growled and kissed her hard. "I don't want to let you go."

"Well … I probably shouldn't go home smelling like Firewhisky and sex." She moved one leg over him.

"That would be a bad idea."

"So … maybe you could finish the tour,” she suggested.

"And, show you my bathroom."

"Particularly, the shower." She kissed his neck. "And, I may need help washing."

"I believe I know just the chap who would love to help you wash." Scorpius felt his cock twitch as he thought about pressing Rose up against the side of his shower under the warm water and learning what she felt like at a different angle.

"I would love his help."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading. I would love to hear what you think of this chapter! 
> 
>  
> 
> XOXO  
> Meg


	11. Chapter Ten

The next morning, Rose walked into the kitchen in her pajamas to find her mother sitting at the table, a steaming cup of coffee and the Daily Prophet sitting in front of her. "Morning," Rose said, heading straight for the coffee.

"Morning," Hermione responded, setting down the portion of the paper she had been reading with the rest on the table. "You were out late last night."

"Yeah. Sorry." Rose tried to look apologetic without blushing about what she had been doing with Scorpius as she grabbed a mug out of the cupboard.

"Hugo seemed to think that was Scorpius' owl,” her mother said nonchalantly, and Rose knew she was caught.

"It was." She nodded and poured coffee into her cup. Her mother was quiet as she picked the cup up and moved to sit at the kitchen table.

"What did he need?"

"He …" needed to lose himself in me instead of dealing with his crazy grandparents. "His grandmother is dying,” Rose finished instead.

"Oh, that's awful. Which one?" Hermione forced herself to look concerned, even though she had been sure this had caused her daughter to be called away so late at night.

"Narcissa Malfoy. She has cancer, and she's refusing Muggle treatments. The Healers don't think there is anything they can do for her."

"That is terrible." Hermione knew all about Narcissa refusing the Muggle treatments Draco had asked for her help in locating. It was infuriating. "So, why did he need you?" Hermione pushed gently, testing the waters.

"He's my friend," Rose said, with a definite defensive tone.

"I know, but … isn't Al his best friend? I guess it just seems odd." Hermione trailed off, letting Rose feel the weight of her words.

"Al was probably busy, or he didn't want Al to see him like that. You know how boys are."

"Hmmm. I suppose." Hermione nodded and took a drink of her coffee. "So, where did you end up?"

"His flat, actually. He already bought himself a flat, Mum. Isn't that crazy?"

Hermione laughed. "Honey, Scorpius buying a flat doesn't even scratch the surface of crazy things I've seen Malfoy's do. What did you two do?"

"We just talked." Rose remembered Scorpius holding her against the wall of his shower. He had pulled her legs up to wrap around his waist as he buried himself inside of her. The hot water had cascaded down onto them as he thrust against her, and she failed miserably when she had tried not to scream his name again. 

"About his grandmother," Hermione said.

"And other things. We do speak to each other quite a lot you know."

"I'm sure you do." Hermione nodded. "Your father is not happy, by the way."

"What?" Rose asked indignantly.

"Hugo mentioned the bird belonged to Scorpius, and your father was displeased that you left our family night to go be with a Malfoy."

"What? He's my friend."

"And, you just kind of vanished, Rose. We had no idea where you were, and we wouldn't have even known who you were with if Hugo hadn't recognized that owl. You didn't come home until after eleven for sure because that is when I finally got tired of waiting and went to bed."

"I'm sorry, I thought my history of always being trustworthy would mean that you and Dad would trust me to be helping my friend."

"It would have been nice if you had taken a few minutes to explain where you were going and who you would be with. I know you're of age Rose, but you're still our daughter, and you live in our home." Hermione reached out and rested her hand on Rose's. "We only worry because,"

"We love you," Ron finished, entering the kitchen with a stern look on his face. "Were you with that boy?"

"Yes, Dad. Scorpius needed someone to talk to. His dad's mum is dying." Her parents exchanged a look that she didn't understand at her words.

"Doesn't the kid have other friends? Friends who didn't want to hex him every time they were within five feet of each other just last summer?" Ron fell into a chair and waved his wand lazily. A cup of coffee poured itself and moved slowly over to him. Rose sat silently staring at her own coffee.

"Rose, you don't have to defend your friendship," Hermione said pointedly, staring at her husband. "We're just asking for a little more courtesy."

"Ok. I'm sorry." Rose said softly. Considering that her parents would both be a lot less forgiving if they knew just what had happened in Scorpius' flat the night before, she was quick to offer up an apology and change the subject.

XXX

That morning after both of her parents left for work, Rose told Hugo she was going out with friends and Apparated back to Scorpius' flat. They needed to talk. Things had changed, he had said things that changed what they were doing, and she didn't like not knowing where they stood.

She landed in his kitchen again and saw that at some point he had dirtied dishes, so he had eaten something in her absence. She hadn't gone home until nearly one in the morning. Even then, he had been trying to pull her to him, to convince her with his lips on her neck that she wanted to stay. She had pulled away laughing and told him her father would murder him if she stayed in his flat all night alone with him.

Scorpius wasn't in the kitchen or the living room, so she walked back to the bedroom and found him asleep, a book abandoned beside him. Rose lifted the book from the sheets, closed it safely, and set it on his dresser. After kicking off her flats, she crawled under the blankets next to him. As her weight shifted the bed, Scorpius rolled over and pulled her into his arms.

"Rose,” he muttered as he smelled her familiar shampoo.

"Morning."

"Didn't you go home?" he asked as he eyes slowly began to open, taking her in.

"Yes. Then my parents went to work, and I came back."

"Mmmmmm … didn't get your fill of me last night?" Scorpius teased. He rolled over on his side and dipped down to kiss her cheek.

"I was thinking more that we could talk," Rose said as he kissed her jaw.

"Okay." Scorpius moved down to her neck and sucked at the soft skin there. "Talk." Scorpius moved down her body and under the blankets to push her shirt up and kiss her stomach.

"What are you doing?" she asked with a giggle as she lifted the blanket over her head to see him. He grinned up at her evilly and popped the button on her jeans open.

"Waiting for you to talk. I'm a very good listener." He slid her jeans down her legs, and she bit her bottom lip as she watched him move back to her knickers.

"Scor," She started to reprimand him, as he slid the silky fabric of her knickers down her legs, "I think we should talk about what you said yesterday."

"Mmhmm,” he agreed, and then his hands were pushing her legs apart, and his face was between them, his mouth sucking softly at that sweet bundle of nerves.

"Uhhnnnh." She let out an involuntary noise and a moan. "Scor… gods … I'm trying to be … responsible … oh …."

"Scorpius!" The word was stern and loud, a shriek that filled the room.

Scorpius said, "Oh, Fuck," at the same time Rose let out a shriek and dug herself further down under the blankets, shutting her legs quickly, pushing Scorpius away.

"Hey, Mum," Scorpius said, "could you … uh …"

"I will be in the kitchen,” Astoria told him, and his bedroom door slammed shut.

"Shit." Scorpius threw the blanket off of them and crawled up to Rose as soon as the door was closed. "I'm so sorry."

Rose stared at him with wide eyes. "She … heard me,” she said, horrified. "I was …" She closed her eyes and covered her face with her hands. "Oh my god."

"I'm so sorry, Rose." Scorpius hugged her, pulling her into his chest. "I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault,” she murmured into his chest. "Do you think she knows it was me?"

"I have no idea," he told her honestly.

"I should go." Rose pulled back from him and scrambled to grab her knickers and jeans from the tangle of blankets.

"What you don't want to see my dear old Mum?" Scorpius laughed, and she glared at him. He stopped and climbed off after her. "I'm sorry." he said again and walked towards the bathroom. "I guess I need to get some wards up …"

"Where are you going?"

"To wash my face." He stuck his tongue out and wagged it at her. She blushed and pulled on her knickers and then her jeans. Once she was redressed, she moved over to the bathroom door to watch him. Rose leaned against the door frame and waited.

Scorpius put his hands at her waist and let his lips run softly over hers before he kissed her harder, drawing a moan from her. "We'll talk later. I promise."

"Scorpius … I … Don't …"

"If she doesn't realize it was you, I won't tell her." He kissed her cheek, and she relaxed. 

"Thanks." She kissed him one more time and moved away from him to Apparate.

XXX

His mother was standing in the kitchen when Scorpius arrived. "Is she gone?" Astoria asked, her voice icy.

"Yes." Scorpius ran a hand through his hair with an embarrassed smile.

"Are you trying to kill your Grandmother?" she roared, screaming at him.

"What? No?"

"I saw her hair Scorpius! I know it was Rose. What are you doing with Rose Weasley in your bed?!"

So much for not telling her. "Well … are details really neccess…"

"Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy! You know what I mean."

"I … lov…"

"Stop!" Astoria held up her hand and shrieked. "Oh, Merlin, Scorpius." She huffed in exasperation. They stood there for a few minutes in silence. "You love her?" she asked desperately, as if there was a chance that wasn't what he was going to say.

"Yes."

"How long have you been together?"

"Well … we're not … technically …"

"WHAT?" Astoria eyes were bulging.

"We aren't …"

"Scorpius! I did not raise you to go running around, sleeping with any girl that will lift her skirt to you."

"She's not any girl, Mum! I … it's complicated."

"Damn right it's complicated. Do you know what your father is going to say about this? Your Grandparents?"

"We are not telling them," Scorpius said sternly.

"Not telling them? Are you going to wait until she's pregnant, and you have no choice but to marry her?"

"Oh, Mum! We're not idiots. She's not going to get pregnant. Last night was the first time we even went that far, and she used a charm." He couldn’t believe he was having this conversation with his mother. He could feel the warmth of red embarrassment crawling down his neck and up his ears. 

"Is this about what happened last night? Is that why you slept with her?"

"No! It's been a long time coming. I just needed someone to make me forget our family is fucking crazy last night, and Rose is that person. She makes me ... She's … Mum … She's … everything,” he finished lamely, unable to articulate exactly what she was to him.

"Does she know? Does she feel the same?"

"I told her last night. She came over this morning to talk."

"That," Astoria said, sternly as she pointed back to his bedroom, "was not talking."

"That was my fault," he admitted sheepishly.

"Scorpius." Astoria shook her head and sighed again. "Fine. I won't tell your father, yet. End it or make it official. I'm not okay with this." She waved her hands at his room again. "Purebloods do not act this way Scorpius.

"I know."

"I can't believe … her father, at least, is a Pureblood."

Scorpius actually laughed at that. "She wasn't raised like you and Dad, Mum. She has no idea what Pureblood families like ours are like."

"Clearly or she would not have had sex with you." Astoria glared at her stupid, stupid son. He had never even told her he was interested in any of the girls at Hogwarts. What would he have done if she had never showed up today trying to convince him to come home? Would he ever have told her about this?

"You're the one that raised me not to see blood."

"But, I still taught you our customs. I still honor our traditions, and you should not be sleeping with that girl unless she is going to be your wife." Astoria family had always been good at toeing the line. They followed custom without flaunting it. They kept their blood pure without drawing attention to themselves in the process, but her marriage had been arranged and so had her sister’s. She and Draco had decided not to arrange a marriage for Scorpius. She had thought that when the time came, he would be much more open with her about the decisions he was making.

"The world doesn't work that way anymore, Mum."

"Yours does, Scorpius. Do this proper or end it. If the two of you decide you want to be together, we'll … figure it out." But, how? What would Draco say when she told him who his son was dating? She couldn't help but think of Hermione and wish that they had had the opportunity to get to know each other better. Maybe if she had some sort of friendship with the witch they could figure out how to present this together, but Draco and Hermione had always been private, always kept their friendship a secret, one that she understood, but didn't have to like.

XXX

Weasley Christmas' had become quite the spectacle. It was not unusual for there to be over thirty people at The Burrow for Christmas Dinner, and this year would be no exception. Molly and Arthur Weasley were hosting for each of their six living children, their spouses, twelve grandchildren, Victoire's husband and Harry's godson, Teddy Lupin, as well as the Longbottoms, and the Grangers.

The Burrow at Christmas was pure chaos. There was an outdoor tent erected for the actual meal, but until that time, most of the family would huddle into the Burrow and play chess or Exploding Snap, or trying to trick each other with items from George and Ron's shop, or chatting and catching up.

Rose had made her rounds through each of these circles and was sitting in the corner of the living room, staying well clear of the kitchen and the cooking, which she was dreadful at when her Uncle Harry found her.

"Happy Christmas, Rosie."

"Happy Christmas, Uncle Harry."

"I was hoping you could help me. I had a very interesting application come across my desk last week,” he said, lifting his glass to his lips. Firewhisky on ice. It made her think of Scorpius and the delicious way he had tasted the night they returned from Hogwarts. Of course, nearly everything made her think about her blonde haired, gray eyed dorm mate, so this was no surprise.

"Oh?" she said. She couldn't move as she waited for Harry to continue, to tell her what he thought of the application. She felt sick all of the sudden.

"Yes. It looked quite promising. I spoke with some of my staff, and we are hoping to have the applicant around for an interview." There was a twinkle in Harry's eye as he grinned.

"Oh?" She couldn't believe that they were having this conversation as their family was bustling around her, loud and crazy and totally oblivious.

"Yes, though I was surprised. I know this one's parent's quite well, and they hadn't mentioned it to me, so I'm wondering if they know."

"I'm sure that they do not," Rose said softly. She watched her parents from across the room as her father pulled her mother in to kiss him.

"I thought so. I guess I will have her around for lunch at my office on Wednesday and chat with her."

"That should work quite well." Rose told him and felt his hand pat her shoulder. As he did so, Alice and her family walked in through the fireplace.

"Neville!" Harry roared and walked away, only to be replaced by Alice, who looked like she wanted to be sick as well.

"Why am I here?" she asked Rose who scooted over on the couch to make room for her.

"You want to be part of Al's family."

"Not all of his family,” she murmured and glared towards the kitchen where James was standing, regaling the women of the family with stories that were making them all laugh loudly.

"Oh, I'm sure he'll be a proper gentleman."

Alice snorted and began to laugh, and Rose joined in and soon then we're giggling as they clutched their stomach's. James Potter was not a gentleman in any way, shape, or form.

Albus looked up at them from his game of Exploding Snap and then climbed the few feet across the floor to kneel in front of Alice as she sat on the couch. "Happy Christmas," he told her.

"Happy Christmas," she said back, leaning down to kiss him softly. Al ran his hands up her thighs and sighed into her mouth.

"I missed you," Al told her.

"Me too." Alice kissed him again, and Rose just looked away. They were making her think about Scorpius as well. "Go finish your game." Alice finally said.

"Fine,” Albus whined but returned to his place on the carpet to finished his game against Louis.

"So, how has your break been?" Alice asked Rose, leaning back against the couch.

Rose looked at her and tried to decide how much to tell her. Alice could be overbearing and meddlesome, but she was also her best friend, and she loved her. Besides, who else did she have to talk to about Scorpius? "Scorpius owled me the night we got back. I went to his flat."

"He has a flat?" Alice got wide eyes.

"Apparently." Rose rolled her eyes to show just what she thought of that.

"Well, I guess that's what being a Malfoy is like."

"It's definitely different than what we're used to."

"I guess.” Alice glanced around to make sure that everyone was occupied. "So, you went to his flat."

"He told me he loves me," Rose said quietly, so quietly that the only reason she knew Alice had heard her was the loud gasp she let out before her jaw drop.

Dominique, Lucy, Louis, and Albus all glanced over at the pair of them. "Sorry, bit my tongue!" Alice lied, and they all turned back to their game. Alice faced Rose and lowered her own voice. "What?!"

"You heard me."

"Wow."

"Come on." Rose grabbed Alice's hand and led her away from the couch, through the groups of Weasley's and Potter's. She pushed out the back door, and Alice shut it behind them. Rose's grandfather and her Uncle Bill had set the tent up right next to the house, heating it, and setting up tables for the many guests. Rose walked all the way to the back of the tent before sitting down. Alice followed her.

"He told you he loves you?" Alice asked, still keeping her voice low.

"Yes."

"Well, what did you say?"

"Uh … nothing really."

"You just left?!" Alice stared at her with a mix of disappointment and anger.

"Not exactly,” Rose told her, remembering the way she had kissed him after he told her. Her entire body had seemed to hum, needing to touch him and feel him against her while her mind tried desperately not to think about what those words meant.

"So, what then?" Confusion crossed her features as her brow furrowed.

"We ..." Rose wrung her hands together, still able to recall the intense and incredible feeling of Scorpius filling her when she needed him more than anything in the entire world.

"Did you two shag?" Alice asked loudly, and Rose reached out and slapped at her arm.

"Alice,” she hissed as she looked at the door to the house as if her father was going to come out and start yelling at her right that moment.

"Well, did you?" Her tone had dropped back down, and Rose nodded while her eyes stared resolutely at the table. "Bugger."

"I know."

"You had sex with him!"

"I know."

"You and Scorpius."

"Yes."

"After he told you that he loves you."

"Yes,” Rose moaned, burying her head in her hands, as she leaned down towards her knees.

"Al and I haven't even!"

"Really?" Her head popped up and Alice frowned.

"He's insisting it be romantic, and we just aren’t ready,” Alice told her. 

"Well, it is your first time. It would be nice." Rose agreed with her cousin, Alice deserved something special.

"Speaking of Al, he better not know about this. I'll be really pissed off at him." Alice suddenly narrowed her eyes at the door, and Rose snapped her head up.

"Don't ask him! What if he doesn't know! Don't tell him, Alice!"

"Fine. What about after? Did you say anything?"

"Not really." Rose blushed again as they moved the conversation back to how awful she was.

"Seriously?"

"I know!"

"Well … have you seen him since all this?"

"Uhhh…" Rose blushed and stared at her hands.

"Does this really get worse?"

"I went over the next morning to talk to him, like just talk, and he … didn't want to talk … and his mum may have … come in his room … when we … weren't talking." Alice burst out into loud, uncontrollable laughter as Rose sat mortified and red across from her. "Alice!"

Alice held her stomach and wiped at the tears falling down her face. "I'm sorry … That's … awful!"

"It was awful! I don't even know if she knows it was me, and I haven't seen him since."

"So, what now?"

"I don't know."

"Rose … you had sex with him after he told you he loved you. He's going to think … at least expect that you sort of feel the same way." Alice looked sad at her words.

"I know."

"Do you?"

"I … like being with him. I do, but … I just don't know. This was supposed to be easy and just a fling to get him off my radar before graduation. I didn't ever imagine it would be this."

"Rose, I know you think I've been a bit crazy, but this is what I was trying to avoid, one of you getting hurt. You really do seem good together. Maybe, you should give it a go."

Suddenly, the door to the house opened, and James walked out of The Burrow and into the tent. He had the characteristic messy black mop of the Potter boys on his head and the green eyes of his grandmother to match. He was tall, taller than Albus by several inches, and lanky just like Harry had been. He was wearing jeans and a grey Holyhead Harpies t-shirt under a white button down. He pulled a pack of smokes out of his pocket as Rose and Alice stared at him. When he finally pulled one free, he placed it in his mouth and looked up to see them.

"Oh …" He pulled the cigarette down and ran a hand through his hair. "Didn't realize you ladies were out here."

Alice just stared at him for another minute, and then turned to Rose. "Can you … give us a minute," she asked, and Rose frowned in response.

"Are you sure?" 

 

Alice felt bad for sending her away when she so clearly needed someone to talk to, but she and James needed to talk, and it was a talk that she much preferred happen in private. "Yeah, I'll be fine."

Rose stood and made her way back to the door, stopping next to James. "Don't be a prat," she told him and he smirked at her.

"Only way I know how to be, Rosie." Rose shook her head at him and shut the door behind her. Alice, who had followed her friend to the front of the tent, pulled her wand out and locked and silenced the door before returning it to her pocket.

"So … Al,” James said, looking down at her.

"He's really good to me," she said defensively.

"I'm sure he is. Much better than I ever was." He hadn't been this close to her in months on months, and it was hard not to pull her into him like he always would have before.

"Yes, actually."

"And, how do you feel about him."

"We're really serious," Alice told him, wondering how much he knew.

"That doesn't answer my question." He turned to the side, still resting his shoulder on the wall as she stood beside him with her back against it. She looked towards the end of the tent and away from him.

"It's complicated." She could smell him, a mixture of smoke, chocolate, and the polish he used on his broom, and old memories bubbled up to the surface threatening to overtake her.

"And, why is that?" he asked, even though he knew exactly why it was complicated. He made it complicated. What they had once been made it complicated.

"You know why." She looked over at him, and their eyes locked. Alice couldn't look away, couldn't step to the side and put space between them. He was James, her James, and nothing, even Albus, had been able to change that.

"I'm no good for you,” James told her softly, and his thumb rubbed softly at her chin, a move that he usually made before kissing her. He seemed to remember this and dropped his hand back to his side.

"I know that. That is why I'm not with you." He had broken her heart. Plain and simple. James had always been a bit of a ladies man. He didn't have the issue that Rose and Albus had with using his name to get himself things. Girls had started throwing themselves in James' path when he was thirteen years old, and he had never turned down a chance to get a little snogging practice in between class.

Alice had always had a small crush on him, but he'd been a year older than her, and she'd known his reputation all too well. That all changed the summer before her fifth year and his sixth when she had gone to the Potter's with her Dad. She thought that Albus might be there, and they could hang out, but Albus had been out with his mother and Lily, and that left James. He was sitting on his bed when she found him. He'd charmed one wall of his room to be projecting a Quidditch match currently happening in Bulgaria. "Wanna watch?" he’d asked, and she'd jumped at the offer. She loved Quidditch. Alice had climbed up next to him and sat cross-legged, their knees touching. Every time he cheered, swore, or moved, his knee had rubbed against hers and sent a shiver down her spine.

When the snitch had finally been caught after a spectacular dive, James had pumped his fists into the air, turned to her, and kissed her dead on the lips. It was quick and over in an instant as he was cheering. Alice had moved her fingers up to her lips and stared at him. When he'd finally realized that she wasn't moving, he'd looked at her and asked, "What's wrong?"

"You … that … was my first one,” she said, embarrassed, and he frowned.

"Your first kiss?" he said incredulously, and she nodded. "Well, that won't do." He had waved his wand at his bedroom door, closing it, and she had dropped her hand. James had leaned in as she bit her own lip softly and closed her eyes. He had pressed his lips against hers as his hand snaked around her neck, and he gently pushed her back on the bed. Alice had felt her heart race and her palms itch as she tried to decide what to do with her hands. He had increased the pressure as her head landed on his pillow, and she had let out a soft noise. One hand moved up from her neck to her hair and the other clenched the fabric where her t-shirt met trousers. "How was that?" he had asked as he pulled back a moment later, and she had tried to remember how to breathe.

They had started kissing every chance they got from that moment on. No one knew. He didn't stop meeting with other girls. She didn't tell him that she actually liked him, and she never asked him to stop. It had been nearly a year later, in that same bedroom that she had unbuttoned his trousers for the first time and then proceeded to make him come. She convinced herself that she could handle casual, that she didn't need commitment, that they were young, but she was very wrong. They'd been caught, and Alice had had to admit to her friends that she was hiding all over the school to kiss James Potter. She even told Rose that she liked him.

It had been April of her sixth year and his seventh when they wound up in the Room of Requirement, pulling each other's clothes off. The Room of Requirement had turned into James' room with that Bulgaria game playing on the wall. She had pushed him down on the bed and then climbed over him. He'd grabbed her arse, pulling her tighter against him, and they had both had sex for the first time. He had been so soft, so sweet, so tender. He had whispered softly in her ear that she was beautiful, that she was a goddess, that she was his. Afterwards, she had thought that something had changed, but she was wrong.

James had been spotted with another girl just four days later, and Alice had heard about it. The next time he'd pulled her into a broom closet, she'd slapped him across the face.

"What the bloody hell, Alice?"

"You snogged Julia! After we … After … I thought something had changed." James had stared at her, his eyes wide, his mouth trying to find the right words. "Do I even mean anything to you?" she had demanded. She knew he didn't keep any other girls the way he did her. He snogged them once, maybe twice and moved on. She also knew that he never went past snogging with them. She was the only one who had felt his fingers inside of her, or had wrapped her mouth around him, or had felt him moving inside of her. She knew because she paid very close attention to gossip about James Potter.

"Of course, you do, Alice. I like you … a lot."

"You like me a lot?" she scoffed. "I love you, James." Alice had shoved him, and he had hit his back against the end of a broom. "I thought …" Tears brimmed on the edges of her eyes as heat pooled in her stomach.

"You're different than those other girls,” he had said, pulling her in to kiss her.

"Then just be with me,” Alice had told him, as she tasted her own tears on his lips, her voice breaking.

"I wouldn't be any good at that,” he had told her. "I would hurt you."

"You already are hurting me. You've been hurting me for two years."

"What?" He was genuinely confused.

"James … I always liked you, even before you kissed me. I thought … I could do this, and be casual, and be this girl that doesn't care if you're snogging every other girl in the school, but I can't. I want you to be with me and only me."

"I don't … know how to do that."

"You just stop kissing other girls!"

"It isn't that easy. I would be a rubbish boyfriend. You deserve better."

Alice had shaken her head and told him, "I don't want anyone else."

"I just can't Alice,” he had told her, and he left the closet, leaving her behind him to sob alone. Alice hadn't let him get her alone again. She had never told Rose the extent of what had happened between her and James. She had just cried herself to sleep silently for the rest of the year. Every time she heard a rumor that he had been spotted with someone else, she convinced herself all over again that she had done the right thing.

In the tent outside of The Burrow, Alice could barely breathe, barely think. "He's in love with you," James told her.

"And, he isn't afraid to tell me that."

"This is bloody weird, Alice."

"I know, believe me. I've been dreading this."

"Does he, at least, know the truth? What we really were?"

"No."

"Are you kidding?"

"I … don't know how to tell him."

"Then, you shouldn't be with him." James crashed his lips down on hers, and she felt a wave of lust and regret as his arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her tighter into him, and she shoved on his chest with her hands. "I was so fucking stupid. I love you, Alice. I should have just told you ..." he whispered against her lips, and she sighed into him.

"I really wish you would have realized that last year."

"Me too."

"You can't do this, James. You can't kiss me, and you can't tell me now how you feel, and you can't ask me if I still love you, because I can't handle it."

"Do you still love me?"

"You can't…" she started, but he cut her off.

"Do you still love me?

"Yes." And, he was kissing her again, and she was clutching the front of his shirt in her hands as his moved into her hair.

"Fuck," James growled as he pulled back from her. "Break it off."

"And, then what? Are you going to be monogamous? We're going to be together and our parents will just be okay with that? Your brother, my boyfriend, isn't going to be crushed by that?"

"I don't know, Alice. If we can't be together, then, fuck, I ruined that” - he wouldn't stop looking into her eyes and she was drowning in them - "but, don't make me watch you with him. Break it off."

"I hate you." She rested her head against his chest and began to sob. He kissed her hair and held her against him.

"I know," he told her as he let her go and moved back a few paces from her. She brushed her hands through her hair to smooth out whatever he had done as he ran his hands down the front of his shirt. She wiped at her eyes, and he felt terrible. He was sure he had made her cry so many times that she couldn't put a number to it.

"I have to go back in there," she said softly.

"I know." James had his cigarettes out again and she stepped forward to grab them.

"You need to stop smoking," she said angrily. "It's going to kill you."

"Break it off with Al, and I will." He grabbed them back from her, and she turned away, knowing that staying out here, being with him, needed to stop. She waved her wand at the door and walked back into the house.

XXX

Rose sat with Alice, Albus, Hugo, and Lily for Christmas dinner, but it didn't much matter. Weasley's were loud, shouting across tables and moving around to different places as they stole food and laughed at jokes, even when they only heard the tail end.

She loved her family.

They were a bit eccentric, and she guessed that they weren't really normal, but she loved them. Her parents were sitting with Harry and Ginny, and Teddy and Victoire had joined them. Victoire was sporting what seemed to be a Quaffle under her shirt, and Teddy couldn't keep his hands off of her. Rose watched as his thumb rubbed circles into the back of her neck, and she wondered if they were really as happy as they had always seemed. Rose could hardly remember a time when the pair hadn't been sneaking off to snog.

They made it look so easy. They all did: Teddy and Victoire, her Mum and Dad, Harry and Ginny, Neville and Hannah, George and Angelina, and Gran and Granddad Weasley. They all found each other at Hogwarts and never looked back, but she was looking back. She had had the rose colored glasses ripped from her eyes, and what she had seen had not been love. It had not been trust. It had not been anything like what all of these happy couples had.

She wondered if she and Scorpius could ever be like Teddy and Victoire. What would her family do if he was here, rubbing circles on the back of her neck, leaning in to whisper in her ear. Her father would be devastated. There was no getting around him.

"Give him hell, Rosie." How many times had her father told her that over the years?

And, she had. For six long years she had given him hell, and now …

Now she had fallen for him in the worst way, and she knew that it didn't matter. Try as she might, a Malfoy didn't fit here in this tent out behind the Burrow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading. I would love to hear what you think of this chapter! 
> 
>  
> 
> XOXO  
> Meg


	12. Chapter Eleven

Christmas at the Malfoy's was always interesting, to say the least. In the morning, Astoria, Draco, and Scorpius would open gifts and have breakfast alone, enjoying the quiet of just the three of them. A few hours later, their family would begin to arrive, and their quiet morning would fade into a tense afternoon.

The Christmas of Scorpius' seventh year at Hogwarts was no different with the welcome exception that Astoria's sister was spending Christmas with her husband's family. The Malfoy and Greengrass grandparents were present and seated at the table by four in the afternoon. The Malfoy's house-elf had prepared the meal under Astoria guidance and was delivering it to them course by course. Astoria, Draco, and Scorpius had been able to keep the conversation neutral throughout most of the meal, but by pudding they were moving on from Scorpius' job to his current studies.

"Sounds like a decent job if you must have one, I suppose," Hyperion spouted, his mouth turned at one corner.

"He must," Astoria told her father.

"Yes, well" - he rolled his ll's like they were r's and looked over at Lucius - "we certainly lived a different way." Lucius scoffed in agreement.

"It's a good job," Draco assured both his father and his father in law. "Scorpius was hand picked by Ollivander to be his replacement."

"Dad,” Scorpius muttered, quietly. This was basically correct, but he could still be abysmal at the craft and be sacked. There was no guarantee.

"Seems odd," Lucius told the table, "that he would want him."

"It is not odd at all," Alaina Greengrass insisted. "It is clear that Scorpius has dedication and talent. Ollivander would be a fool to let a few” - she waved her hand as if brushing something away “mistakes…” 

"What are you saying, Alaina?" Narcissa raised her brow, but her voice and her posture were weak. She looked like she was dying, and everyone at the table knew it. 

"I believe we all know what she's saying mother," Draco said firmly. "And, we all know it's true, so perhaps we should talk about something else."

"Yes, we should," Hyperion agreed. "How are your studies for N.E.W.T.s coming along, Scorpius?"

"Very well," Scorpius replied.

Astoria frowned at him, wondering how much studying he was actually getting on with these days. Just five days ago, she would have insisted that he was still her dedicated, studious, young man, but now, in the wake of what she had walked into at his flat, she wasn't so sure.

"Who's the Head Girl?" his grandfather asked. "Anyone we would know?"

"Rose Weasley." Scorpius tried to keep his face straight, and his voice even as he said Rose's name and waited. He prayed that his family would hold their tongues about Rose and her family.

"Ahhh," Hyperion said knowingly, "that's the chit you're always getting in trouble for hexing?"

"Father!" Astoria looked at him with wide eyes, not even wanting to know what was running through Scorpius' mind at that moment. The boy was infatuated to be sure and believed that he was in love. Who knew what sort of idiocy that would propel him to if her father or, Merlin forbid, Draco's father, started in on the girl.

"Sorry, sorry. The girl you're always getting in trouble for hexing."

"Yes," Scorpius forced out, shoving a bite of chocolate into his mouth. Maybe if he was chewing, they would stop drilling him.

"They seem to be getting on this year," Draco told his father in law. "We haven't had a single owl about the two of them. I believe it's a record." He smiled as if this amused him. 

"Charming her into submission are you, Scor," Hyperion roared and winked at his grandson.

Astoria choked on a bite she had just taken. Scorpius flushed red. Draco laughed along with the round old man. Alaina glared at her husband. Narcissa gripped Lucius' arm. Lucius, with a look of pure disgust on his face, snarled, "I certainly hope not."

"Oh, I'm just teasing the boy, Lucius." Hyperion chuckled as he spoke.

"Her father is the son of that ridiculous blood traitor, Arthur Weasley, and her mother is that insufferable little …"

"Lucius!" Astoria slapped the table with her hand, causing Narcissa to grip tighter at Lucius' arm, her eyes growing large. "Scorpius and Rose have become friends. I must ask that you reserve your feelings about her parents for a time when you are not in our company."

"What?" Draco looked over to his left where Scorpius was tightly gripping his spoon, staring down at his chocolate trifle. He was forcing himself to think about Rose and how she had smelled like him after that shower they had taken the other night and how badly he wished he was at home in his flat, pushing her up against the wall again, buried inside of her, feeling her nails on his back. Don't kill anyone, or you'll never get to do that again.

"They have put this childish nonsense behind them and grown up." Astoria snapped at her husband, and Scorpius loved his mother for every word.

"So, you would have the boy charming her?" Narcissa asked weakly, her disdain clear.

"No one is suggesting that," Draco told his mother, trying to get her to calm down as he processed this new information.

"Oh, Cissy, I really was just teasing the boy," Hyperion insisted. "You know my Astoria. She likes to get riled up about these things." Astoria glared at her father but did not counter his words. Scorpius sat silent, eyes down. Draco watched his wife curiously.

XXX

Draco went to bed late that night. He had finished a glass of scotch with Hyperion and sent the old wizard home, but Astoria had gone up to bed nearly an hour before he was finally rid of the man. Draco had been itching to talk with her after the performance she had put on at dinner, but they never had the chance.

Astoria was always one to insist that, in front of Scorpius, Pureblood speak be kept to a minimum, but he had rarely seen her as passionate about it as she had been that night. He had never seen her hit anything in nearly twenty years together, and tonight, she had slapped the table at Christmas dinner.

When he walked through the door of their bedroom, he found her sitting at her mirror, brushing her long black hair. He moved behind her, watching her eyes find his, and then dipped down to kiss her neck. "Did my father finally leave?" she asked softly, and he nodded.

"I basically shoved him through the floo." Draco grinned as he moved over to their bathroom to change.

"Good."

"Scorpius went back to his flat," Draco added, knowing that she would be upset by this, but there was no use keeping it from her.

"Of course, he did," she said, disappointment clear in her tone. "I'm going to have to get the boy a few more furnishings if he is going to insist on staying there during break." She tried not to think about what he was doing there, praying that the Weasley's kept a closer eye on their daughter than they had been the other day.

"He's upset," Draco told her as he walked back out to their bed.

"I know he's upset, Draco. That doesn't mean I want him staying in that bloody flat." Or, sleeping with that girl who isn't even really his.

Draco wanted to remind her that she had been the one who insisted he buy the thing before his seventh year, so she could decorate, but decided against it. Instead, he waited for her to come lay next to him, and he leaned over and kissed her. "What was that at dinner?" he asked after she leaned into him.

"What do you mean?"

"You hit the table, Astoria."

"I was upset."

"About the Weasley girl? Who cares what they all think of her?"

"I know." Astoria laid her head on his shoulder. She knew she couldn't tell him what she knew. She had told Scorpius she wouldn't, but she wanted to. "Their friendship seems new. I just don't want those lunatics making Scorpius feel like he can't be himself when he's at home."

"I understand. Hermione never said anything about it, but then again neither did you."

"He could have told you."

"Believe me, we will be discussing it."

"I think I'm also just overly emotional right now with everyone because of Scor. I can't believe he's staying at that flat when it's not even ready and his room is here!"

"He's had a taste of freedom now and likes it," Draco insisted, kissing the top of her head. "He'll come around."

"I suppose." Astoria ran her hand up his chest and pulled his face down to hers. He let his lips fall against hers, and he moved her back against her pillows.

XXX

Wednesday morning, Rose decided that she needed backup. She still wasn't willing to inform her parents of her interview with Harry, but she was nervous about running into her mother at the Ministry. This was the reason Rose had come to the conclusion, after quite a short period of deliberation, that she needed to bring Albus up to speed so that he could be her cover story.

She Flooed over to the Potter's in mid-morning, late enough that even Albus should be up. When she arrived, Lily looked up at her from a magazine. "Hey, Rose."

"Morning, Lils. Is Al around?"

"Yeah, he's up in his room I think," Lily told her and turned back to her magazine. Rose walked through the living room and up the stairs to Al's room. where she found him lying on his bed. He was throwing a snitch up into the air and catching it as music filled the room from his wireless.

Rose jumped onto Al's bed and lay beside her cousin. "Hello, Albus."

"Hello, Rose." Al rolled over to look at her suspiciously. "Whatcha want."

"Why do I have to want something?"

"You've been too busy for your old cousin and best friend, Al, lately."

"Oh, yeah, well, I haven't noticed Al breaking down my door. I have a favor to ask you." She smile,d and he groaned.

"This better not be about Scorpius," He told her. "The answer is no, if so."

"What? No!"

"Ok, what then?"

"I need you to come with me to your Dad's office at lunch today." She smiled sweetly, and he raised an eyebrow at her.

"Why?"

"I have a … meeting with him, and I'm worried about running into my Mum, and her being weird and realizing what I'm up to."

"What are you up to?" Al asked, sitting up. "Why're you meeting with da … Rose! Did you … are you …."

Rose smiled and sat as well. "I applied for Auror Training."

"What?!" Albus screamed as a wide smiled moving across his face. His hands rose up into the air and then fell around her shoulders pulling her into a hug. "That's incredible!"

"Calm down!" Rose laughed at him as he rocked her back and forth and then released her. "You're crazy."

"Maybe, but can you imagine? You, and me, and Scor! We'll be the best bloody Auror recruits they've had since the war!" Albus pumped a fist into the air, and Rose ignored the comment about Scorpius.

"So, you'll come? Say your Dad asked us both for lunch if my Mum is there?"

"Of course! Whatever you need. Why haven't you told your Mum and Dad?"

"I don't think they will be happy about it. I think my dad will … lose it." She was fairly certain he would lose it actually. He didn't want her, or Hugo, following in those footsteps. After all, they had been the reason for his career change. George had needed help when Ron finally decided to look for something else, and Ron had taken him up on the offer to help run the shop.

"But you're going to do it anyway?"

"Scorpius basically shoved me into it." She laughed.

"Scor suggested it?"

"He thought it was a good fit. After I looked into it, I agreed."

"And, apparently Dad does, too," Albus assured her. "Can't believe he didn't tell me!"

"He could get sacked for telling you," Rose reminded him. 

"Yeah, well. He still should've said," Albus grumbled, looking quite put out.

XXX

Two hours later, Albus and Rose were walking onto Level Two of the Ministry of Magic. They weren't regulars on the floor, but both of them had been here multiple times in their lives to see Harry or Hermione. Hermione's office was straight ahead, but the pair turned around the corner instead, past a set of heavy oak doors, and into the Auror Headquarters.

Headquarters was a large open room divided into cubicles for the Aurors to work. At the back of the room were a few office doors, one of which, Rose knew from experience, belonged to Harry. They made their way through the cubicles, smiling and waving at a few of the Aurors they recognized until they stood before a desk. A small, greying woman who must have been around the age of their Gran jumped up from her seat.

"Albus! Rose!" Serena moved around her desk and pulled them closer to hug her. They laughed and hugged her back the best they could as she pinned their heads to her shoulders. "You two." She shook her head. "Can't believe you're old enough for this,” she bemoaned, and Al and Rose both laughed.

"Me either," Harry said, stepping out from behind his office door. "Come on in, Rose. We're ready for you."

"Good luck." Al squeezed her arm, and she felt butterflies. "You've got this." Rose tried to smile, but she was pretty sure it came out as a grimace, as she followed Harry into his office.

"Ok," Harry said, as he shut the door behind her, "this is Rose Weasley," he told the group of three sitting in plush chairs in the middle of Harry's office. There were two more empty chairs in the circle that she and Harry walked towards. "Rose, this is John Gore." Harry gestured to a tall, lanky man who was wearing muggle jeans and a t-shirt. "He's Junior Head of the Department." John leaned forward and shook her hand.

"Pleasure," he told her.

"This is Lee Williamson, Head of Intelligence." Lee shook her hand and gave her a nod.

"And, this woman right here is the brilliant Alicia Spinnet, Head of our Training Program."

"Afternoon, Rose." Rose knew Alicia because she was still good friends with her Uncle George, Aunt Angelina, and Uncle Harry.

"Have a seat, Rose," Harry told her, as he took his own chair.

Rose sat in the chair and tried not to hyperventilate or get sick. She had grown up hearing about each and every one of these people as if they were celebrities, even Harry. She'd known them in some capacity or another, even if it was just that she recognized their face and their record, for years.

"Ok, so, I obviously know you pretty well Rose, but I want my team to get to know you, so we can make the best possible decision. We're just going to ask you some questions, talk a bit about your experience at Hogwarts, okay?"

"Sounds great," Rose told him, smiling widely as her heart tried to beat right out of her chest.

XXX

It was Thursday when Rose got her next owl from Scorpius. She was sitting in her bedroom while her parents were at dinner, and his bird started tapping on her window.

Dinner. 8 tomorrow.

She had shaken her head at the ridiculous shortness of his messages. It was as if he didn't know how to write. She had then tried to figure out how to tell her parents that she was going out. In the end, she had settled on the truth.

"Mum,” Rose said softly to her mother as she made dinner that night.

"Scorpius asked me round tomorrow night. I think it's just a bunch of people. Is it alright if I go? Round 8?" She knew it was a lie, but she didn't want her mother to get suspicious of her going to see Scorpius alone for the second time in two weeks.

As it was, her mother seemed to take a ridiculously long time to answer. "I suppose. Just let me know if you will be late."

Rose had felt her heart skip a beat at the idea of an entire night with Scorpius to do … well … whatever they wanted, and talk of course. They had to talk. She needed to tell him that she was confused and didn't know how he would fit into her family, and he would probably tell her those three little words again that lit a fire inside of her chest every time she thought of them.

On Friday night, Rose stared at the clock desperately, waiting for eight to come. She played a round of chess with Hugo and sat down with her family as they ate, picking at their plates, and then spent too long getting ready, until it was finally time to leave.

It was bright inside of Scorpius' flat when Rose apparated in. She was instantly overrun with the smell of something cooking as she landed in his kitchen. Scorpius looked over his shoulder at her and grinned. "Right on time."

"Always." Rose looked around the kitchen and noticed that he had suddenly acquired a table and barstools for his counter. "You have seating now." Rose teased as she made her way to him. He pulled her in to kiss her deeply. Rose wrapped her arms around him and tucked her hands into the back pockets of his jeans.

"I do. My mother thought I should if I was going to stay here," Scorpius told her after they had pulled apart.

"You didn't go home?" she asked surprised. She had expected that he would have been back with his parents, especially after what his mother had seen, or heard, them doing the last time she had been here.

"I did, for Christmas, but I've been staying here."

"And, she hasn't been popping in?" Rose blushed.

"She knows it was you," Scorpius told her softly and noted the grimace on Rose's face. "She saw your hair."

"And?"

"And … we'll talk after we have food," he insisted.

"You know how to cook, too?" Rose asked suspiciously.

"Not at all." Scorpius laughed at the thought. "I got take away pizza. I'm just warming it up."

"Smells delicious." She moved away from him and made her way to the other side of the bar. "What kind?"

"Prosciutto and mushroom." He looked at her warily, gauging her response.

"Sounds good to me," she told him.

"Good. I have wine, too. I figured if you hated it, we would just get pissed."

"We're supposed to talk,” she reminded him. 

"Yeah, well, getting pissed and shagging sounds like fun, too." She looked sternly at him, and he shrugged while sending her that stupid grin of his. "Okay, we'll talk."

He pulled two glasses out of a cabinet and set them next to the open bottle of wine. He poured them and handed one to Rose. She sipped at it as he turned back to the oven to pull out their dinner. He set it on the counter, pulled two plates out, and moved to sit next to her. They both grabbed a piece of the pizza and set in on their plates. "It's very good," Rose told him after her first bite.

"Delicious," he agreed. "It's the first time I've used an oven."

"Really?" She laughed at him as he nodded enthusiastically, clearly excited over his mastery of the Muggle appliance.

"So, your mother," Rose said, after taking a drink from her wine glass.

"While we're eating?"

"Scor…"

"Ok, Ok. I was honest with her. I told her that we weren't together, but that I …" He looked over at her, and she stared at her plate. "How I feel about you." He couldn't bring himself to say it again when she hadn't told him her own feelings yet.

"And?"

"She was ... upset."

"Okay." She hadn't really expected any different. How could she not be upset when her son had been … well … making her very happy at the time that she happened to walk into his room.

"Do you know why she was upset?" Scorpius asked. He seemed hesitant.

"Because she walked in on us? My parents would be upset too." Rose knew they would both be way worse off if her parents had been the ones to find them. First of all, there was no way they would have let Scorpius sneak away like she had.

"Yes, and no. Do you know much about … Pureblood dating practices?"

"No," Rose told him. "My family doesn't follow any that I know of."

"Ok, well, it's tradition that Purebloods don't have sex before they are married, or at the very least, betrothed." Scorpius felt slightly terrible for not explaining all of this before they had decided to have sex, but it hadn't exactly been planned and it wasn't like he was a strict believer in the traditions.

"Oh …"

"It was meant to ensure the purity of the line, but it's an important tradition to some people. My parents are … very traditional." Scorpius knew that his parents had both waited. They had told him like it was no bigger deal than the flowers his mother had carried or the shoes his father had worn. His parents had both been virgins the day they married.

"But, you said your mother ... that she raised you not to look at blood status."

"She did, but she also raised me with other traditions in place," he explained. "She is upset that you are who you are, but it isn't about blood status for her. Not directly at least. It's about how my family will react to you in particular because you are Ron Weasley's daughter."

"Oh."

"Also, in my parents eyes, not mine, what we did the other night would mean that we intend to be married." He watched her closely and cringed at her response.

"Scorpius." The color drained from Rose's face. "Were you … a …"

"No," he said flatly.

"Oh god." Rose breathed a sigh of relief.

"But, my mother didn't know that. Still doesn't know that."

"Okay, so what does that mean for us?"

"I don't know. My mum wants us to come clean and figure it out in the open. She knows my Dad would be a hard sell, and my grandparents would … well …"

"Hate me," Rose said softly and he sighed.

"Yes." Scorpius remembered Christmas and he knew this was true. There was no doubt in his mind. He didn't really want to think about what holiday's would be like with Rose by his side, but he wanted her to want it anyway.

"Well, do they all have to find out? I mean …" She looked down at her empty plate and drained the last of her wine.

"What do you want from this Rose? I told you that … I love you." He reached out and put his finger under her chin, turning her head to face him so he could kiss her softly. She shivered as she unconsciously shifted closer to him. "But, you haven't really acknowledged that or told me how you feel about it."

"I … don't know. I definitely feel more for you than just … just messing around, but Scorpius I'm not just making excuses to Aaron and Colin. I don't want to date. I don't want a boyfriend. I don't want to … to …" be hurt again. Be humiliated and made a fool of.

"I'm not Rowan. I'm not going to hurt you."

"I know, but that doesn't change anything. I had plans Scorpius. I was going to live with him, and plan my life around him, and get married, and have his babies, and be Mrs. Rowan Wood. How did I get there? I'm the top witch in our year, in several years. I'm talented, and smart, and pretty much amazing on paper. How did I let everything about my future be wrapped up in a boy? My interview at the Auror Office went amazing. My friends want me to live with them. There is this whole incredible life that I nearly missed out on because I was so wrapped up in a boy, which doesn't make any sense because nearly every time I was with him, I was thinking of you."

"I would never ask you to marry me, pop out my babies, and ignore your dreams. I'm not even saying we would get married. I certainly don't want that right now, but we could try this out for real and see what happens." He leaned down and kissed her again. She moved off her stool and wrapped her arms around his neck, deepening his kiss, not wanting to talk about this anymore, but they had to. She had to.

She pulled back and grabbed the bottle of wine to pour them both another glass. "But, what if it doesn't work? What if outside of sex we don't actually work? How much is it going to hurt our families? How much will it hurt your grandparents? What if we put them through all this pain, and force them to accept something that none of them are going to like, and then we don't actually make sense." 

 

They were both standing now, moving to the living room where his mother had added a couch and end tables since her last visit. They sat down on the couch, facing each other. Scorpius set his wine down and moved over to grab her glass. He moved over her to set it behind her on the table. Then he was kissing her again, pressing her down into the soft cloth, feeling her body respond to him instantly. Her hands moved up into his hair, and she moaned against his tongue.

He drew back and looked into her eyes. "Rose, we make sense. Even the sex isn't just about sex. You spend more time with me than Alice or Albus these days. We talk all the time. We were supposed to go this entire break without each other, and we didn't last the first day. Every day since then, I've wanted to be with you, and I wouldn't have cared if it was just to hang out with you and your family."

"But, that's just it." She put her hand on his cheek and sighed. "Will you ever be able to hang out with my family? Would my Dad ever accept you? Would he ever see you as more than Draco Malfoy's son?"

"I don't know, Rose." He ran his hand up her shirt, and she arched into him, her body needing his touch everywhere. "But, isn't it worth it to find out?"

"I don't know. I just …" She pulled at his sweater, moving it over his head, admiring his hard body before tasting his chest with her lips. "Why can't we just let things stay the way they are for now,” she whispered against his body.

Scorpius shifted, forcing her to look at him again. "My mum wants me to do this for real or break it off, and … I can't … I kind of agree with her. You say you have at least some feelings for me, and I get that you're scared, but I'm not. I want to be with you. I want to introduce you to my parents, and take you out on dates, and I don't ever want to listen to another fucking guy ask you out and paw you when I know you're going to be in my bed that night."

"So, what are you saying?" Rose asked, staring up at him uneasily.

"As much as I hate it, I'm saying all or nothing. I want all of you or we stop."

"I don't … I don't know," Rose told him honestly, and he moved back down to kiss her neck.

"Then think about it. Take the rest of break and let me know when we get back to school." He pulled at the bottom of her cardigan and pulled it over her head. She pulled his head back down so she could kiss him again, hard and demanding. She didn't like this. She didn't want to stop. She didn't want to tell her parents that somehow, someway she had started to feel things for this boy that she could never have imagined feeling in a million years.

Scorpius moved back on the couch, and Rose threw her bra on the floor. They both pulled at the buttons on their trousers and kicked them off as well followed by her knickers and his pants. "Come here," he told her, pulling her over to him. He knew that soon she was going to make a decision, and he didn't have any idea if it would be him, but tonight he was going to pretend like none of the that mattered. Tonight, she was his.

She moved her leg over his lap and sat down, feeling him hard against her. Scorpius used his hand to cup her breast and suck softly at her nipple, grazing his teeth over the sensitive skin. "Scor…" she whispered as she moved one hand down between them and wrapped it around him. She stroked him a few times, but it wasn't necessary. She picked up her hips slightly, positioned him at her core, and fell down onto him. "Fuck." Scorpius moaned against her breast, the hot, wetness surrounding him drove him mad. "You feel so good,” he said, his breaths heavy against her skin, and she began to move, sliding her hips up and down on him.

"You feel amazing,” she replied as she sheathed herself on him again. Scorpius claimed her mouth then, exploring her with his tongue, fighting her for dominance. She was killing him with her slow movements.

"Rose," he growled softly, and she smirked, knowing just what she was doing to him. He pushed her off of him, and she whined as he pulled out of her.

"What are you doing?" she asked, and he stood, lifting her into his arms. She wrapped her arms and legs around him, kissing him as he tried to make it to his bed. He didn't make it on the first go. He shoved her hard against the wall of the hallway after she bit his shoulder. He bit her back, and her feet fell to the floor. Rose reached down and took him in her hand, stroking him again as he put his hands against the wall for support.

Rose pushed him back away from the wall and towards his bedroom. He happily let her guide him in that direction, hands roaming her body as they moved. Once they were the room, he picked her up and tossed her on the bed as she laughed. He moved over her, not letting her even attempt to take control again, done with her teasing.

"Mmmmmm…." she moaned as he buried himself inside of her. He clutched at her soft skin, still unable to believe that he actually was here, doing this with her. He forced out thoughts of their conversation and the possibility that she could put an end to all of this by deciding not to be with him. "Scor." She rocked her hips up into his, and he lost himself in the way she felt as she slid further down his length.

"Fuck." He pulled back and began to pump in and out of her, giving himself the quick movements he had been longing for when she had been on top of him on the couch.

"Yes," she whispered into his neck, as her nails scraped as his skin again. He moved her mouth to his. He tasted her, sweet perfection, as the smell of her lavender shampoo overwhelmed him, pulling him deeper into her. I love you, he locked the thought inside of his head, unwilling to let it out. He needed something from her, some kind of confirmation that he wasn't alone in this crazy obsessive love that was seizing him, before he could spill those words for her again.

"Merlin, Oh …." She uttered as she rocked against him, and he tried to hold on to her for dear life as the fireworks began.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading. I would love to hear what you think of this chapter! 
> 
>  
> 
> XOXO  
> Meg


	13. Chapter Twelve

Rose was packing her trunk the night before she was due back at Hogwarts, when her mother appeared in the doorway of her bedroom.

"Hey, Mum," she told her, trying to smile and sort of succeeding. She knew she had been a mess since her last night with Scorpius. He wanted something from her that she wasn't sure she could give him, and she couldn't stop thinking about it.

"How's the packing?" Hermione crossed the plush tan carpet to settle on Rose's bed.

"Emotional," Rose admitted, and it was. Even beyond what was happening with Scorpius, this was the possibly the last time she would pack her things. She could come home for two weeks at Easter, but she hadn't made a choice yet whether or not she would need the time to study, and her parents weren't pushing her one way or the other.

"Yeah. This year is big." Hermione put a hand on the clothes in her daughter's trunk and sighed. "Sometimes, I don't understand how we've already made it this far. You were just a little girl begging me for her first broom ride with Uncle Harry."

"I still remember it," Rose smiled, a real genuine smile untainted by her confusion and hesitancy. "It was amazing."

"You hated it," Hermione told her, laughing.

"Well, yeah. It was really high up," Rose defended.

"Your father convinced you to try again, and he held you tight, and you just laughed and squealed the entire time." Hermione closed her eyes as if she could see the pair of them taking off behind her lids.

"Well, I was always a bit of a Daddy's girl."

"Yes, you certainly were." Hermione grabbed a shirt from the bed and began to fold it, helping Rose fill the empty space in her trunk. "But, I think you have my heart and once you love something, you never let it go." Rose couldn't help but think of Scorpius. She loved him. She was sure of it. She had nearly cried when she had left him the other night. They had both been standing in the kitchen. She was clutching at his shirt, not wanting to leave, and he had his hands tucked into her back pockets. He was alternating between kissing her softly and telling her she ought to get home before her parents began to worry. She had grumbled and kept letting him kiss her until it was clear she was going to need to drag him back to the bedroom or leave. She had pushed him back, reluctantly, promised to see him soon, and gone home.

"I think you’re right." Rose grinned, and added, "But, I have Dad's temper."

Hermione laughed out loud at this and shook her head. "Merlin, isn't that the truth. Your father has mellowed over the years, or I probably would have strangled him a long time ago, but you are still developing that particular ability."

"How did you know he was it, Mum?" The words spilled out without permission, or proper thought and Rose hurried to cover. "Only, I just worry. I was so sure about Rowan."

"Your Dad is my balance, Rose. He is funny when I am worried, and rash where I am cool, and he is caring in a way that I have rarely seen. He loves his friends fiercely, and he loves you and Hugo even more fiercely, and that is sexy." She waggled her eyebrow,s and Rose groaned and shook her head.

"Dad is not sexy!"

"Maybe not to you." Hermione winked, and Rose groaned again. "Love is hard and complicated and being so different isn't easy. Twenty-five years and some of them are sure to be not so good, but I just … when I'm with him, I just know he's mine, and I'm his, and even when I want to kill him, I wouldn't trade him for anyone else in the world."

"That sounds confusing," and familiar.

"It is. Rose, one day, you're going to fall in love, for real, and I hope that you never let go." Hermione grabbed her hand and squeezed it. "The one thing we took out of the war, us and Harry, was that the people we loved were the most important part of our lives. I love my job, and I love this house, and doing magic, and being able to help people and creatures that can't help themselves, but Rose, if I had to, I would give all of that up to be with your father for the rest of my life." She choked, and cleared her throat, and Rose felt a tear move down her cheek slowly. She pulled her hand back and wiped it away as if it was burning her.

XXX

The fire was spitting, but Rose sat on the floor in front of it anyway, wrapped in her Grandmother's quilt. She needed it. Damn did she need it. She had been waiting for Scorpius for what felt like forever, but it had probably only been forty minutes or so. She supposed his friends had wanted to catch up, or maybe he had been pulled into something as Head Boy. She didn't know. She didn't even know if she wanted him to walk through that portrait or not. She didn't know.

She had spent every moment of the train ride with her head up against the glass and eyes closed. She had hoped that the cool touch would help ebb the pain in her head, but it had kept raging. She had gone to see Alice's mom as soon as she had arrived in the castle and spent dinner in one of the bed's in the infirmary. Hannah had been hesitant to let her go, but Rose had insisted that she was fine, it had just been a headache.

It was just a headache, but the cause had been her lack of sleep the night before. She had tossed and turned hearing voices every time she closed her eyes.

.

"I saw you in Slughorn's class Rose. You know I did."

.

"I didn't like Aaron bloody Boot fucking snogging you."

"I don't want to kiss him."

"Do you want to kiss me?"

.

"I just can't really imagine being with anyone else yet."

.

"Were you waiting for me?"

"What do you think?"

.

".. now that I've tasted you, I don't want to stop."

"This isn't going past graduation."

"And, we're not having sex."

"No snogging other people. If you want to date someone, you tell me, and we end it."

.

"I never would have guessed you for the jealous type before this."

.

"Wait. You … went to him because …"

"Because, I wanted you and he was my boyfriend."

"And …"

"And, I couldn't stop thinking about you the entire time he was touching me."

.

"The recipe is wrong."

"What?"

"Trust me."

"I'll trust you."

"Maybe we're a better team than you thought."

"When you're doing inanimate to animate transformations you have to turn your wrist in while you flick."

"Was that the only time you thought about me? When you were with him in the changing rooms."

"No."

.

"You've been staring at me all day."

"Come in my room."

.

"Scor"

"Red."

.

"This was the best decision ever."

"Yes. Yes, it was."

.

"I … well … I thought maybe we had become friends lately. With everything."

"Me too."

.

"He's a fucking dick, Rose. You know that right?"

"Of course, I know he's a dick Scorpius. He cheated on me with I don't even know how many girls who just want him because he got signed to that stupid team."

"No, that's not what I mean. Rose, you are incredibly sexy. I get hard every time I even think about snogging you. When you touch me it's everything I can do not to finish right there because you are so fucking beautiful and smart and I can't believe that you think I'm good to look at and want to mess around with me when you could have any guy in this school. Rowan Wood is the dumbest fucking dick I've ever met in my life. He had all of that crap that I get plus you were crazy in love with him. I … I don't know how any bloke could give that up for some slag Quidditch groupies. Don't ever let any other arsehole make you feel like you aren't good enough."

.

"What about a bet."

"A bet?"

"Okay. If you win … you can do it … once."

"You'll definitely want it more than once."

.

"All my mates have dates. Being alone today was an unforeseen side effect of not dating."

"You could date."

"Eh. Not really anyone I would have wanted to ask."

"Okay. So, you're going to sit here with me?"

"Why not? We're friends now. We won't hold hands or snog, and I won't buy you candy or take you to Puddifoot for tea."

"I guess it won't be a date then if we don't drink the fancy tea."

.

"I … accepted a job already. I have to have them for it."

"Oh. What are you going to be doing?"

"Uh … working for Ollivander."

"What?"

"He … He's going to teach me …"

"How to make wands?"

"Look, don't tell Al okay? He wants to go be Auror's together and I … well this is …"

"Amazing, Scorpius. That's incredible."

.

"You're in trouble."

"What am I in trouble for?"

"You like him."

"What? Scorpius? I don't like him."

"You're playing with fire."

"Oh, shut up. Just because I can stand being around him …"

"And you're snogging him, and who knows what else."

"We're just …"

"Trying to snog the attraction away? How does that even sound like a good idea. Let's snog a whole bunch and roll around naked and see if we want to rip each other's clothes off less."

"Well … I don't know what to say to that!"

"Say you'll stop, or at least, give him a real chance."

"He doesn't want a real chance, Alice. That's why I'm snogging him and rolling around naked with him. He doesn't want me to be in a relationship with him. If he wanted a real chance I'd have turned him down like I did Aaron and Colin."

"Rose … you're a big girl, I'm just worried you're going to end up getting hurt when you least expect it."

"I won't. I promise."

.

"See? You aren't the same person and no one expects you to be."

"That isn't true. People expect us both to be just like them. Me like Hermione Granger and you like Draco Malfoy."

"Do you think Hermione and Draco ever snogged in the halls? Do you think they ever did the things I've done to you? Do you think he ever needed her the way I need you."

"No."

.

"Are you trying to seduce me, Red?"

"Is it working?"

"Yes."

"You like it?"

"That is the sexiest thing I've ever seen."

"I hoped you would."

.

"I guess … I should go."

"You could stay."

.

"Going to give me your jersey for the next match?"

"I'll catch the Quaffle for you and give it to you after the game."

"We are terrible friends."

"The worst."

.

"I guess it's just hard to believe. How ... you were with Rowan all that time."

"I know, and I thought … we were it, but … honestly, if that's true why did I smell Scorpius in the Amorentia? Why couldn't I stop thinking about him?"

"Then how is that just messing around?"

"Because that's all I have to give right now, and that's all he wants."

"And what if that changes? What if one of you wants more?"

"Then it's over. We stop and we don't look back."

.

"How will we resist falling in love when there is butterbeer and chocolate frogs in our lives?"

"I think we will just have to fight our way through."

.

"I can do some things for myself, you know. Sometimes I even put on my shoes and tie them like a big boy."

"Oh shut up! I wasn't saying that. It's good cocoa."

.

"Well … You could do a lot of things that would give you that, but … well … Rose, I think you would be a really good Auror."

"What?"

"Hear me out! You have all the subjects for it and you are bloody amazing at them, but especially Defense and Transfiguration. You are amazing with your wand. You pick up new spells quicker than anyone else. You see me do a spell wrong once, maybe twice and you can correct me, but you also have a knack for wordless and wandless magic that I've never seen before. You are quick and light on your feet. You handle stress and pressure better than most adult wizards I know. You have a desire to be in a field that is meaningful and will allow you to shine in a way that won't be a reflection of your mother, whom everyone has always compared you to. You …"

.

"Well, you shouldn't have done it. It's not your place to decide what I should be doing or get applications for me for jobs."

"It was one job, and I knew you wouldn't do it yourself, and you should because you would be amazing."

"You're ridiculous."

"I'm right, but I'm sorry I went behind your back."

"Good."

"Just look at the information and think about it. Is that all that's bothering you."

"No. The whole school thinks we're on a date."

"So?"

"So, I don't really want my parents hearing that either."

"You're ashamed of your play toy?"

"No. Yes. I don't know. My dad would have a heart attack."

"So would mine. Ron Weasley's daughter."

.

"So, you're my girlfriend now?"

"I'm pretty sure that is the furthest thing from what you want from me."

"True. Well, really I just don't want a girlfriend at all. Way too much work. And I can't mess around with you if I have a girlfriend."

"Great …"

"Oh please, you feel the same way."

.

"Do you want to date Colin Creevey?"

"No, Scorpius. I don't want to date Colin, just like I don't want to date anyone else."

"Well, then why were you letting him maul you during class."

"He was NOT mauling me."

"And YOU … you were leading him on. Making him think you wanted to shag him."

.

"You seem as nervous as I am."

"I just know it's a big decision, and I'm happy for you."

"I wouldn't have done it if you hadn't ordered the information for me. Thank you."

"You're welcome."

.

"I need you to know that if you stay here in this bed tonight, I'm going to take all of your clothes off and kiss every inch of your body until you have been properly worshipped and I'm going to bury myself inside of you like I've been wanting to do every day for the past year and a half."

"You want to … to …"

"I want to make love to you,"

"Scor … Are you … what are you saying?"

"I love you."

.

"Rose … you had sex with him after he told you he loved you. He's going to think … at least expect that you sort of feel the same way."

"I know."

"Do you?"

"I … like being with him. I do, but … I just don't know. This was supposed to be easy and just a fling to get him off my radar before graduation. I didn't ever imagine it would be this."

"Rose, I know you think I've been a bit crazy, but this is what I was trying to avoid. One of you getting hurt. You really do seem good together. Maybe … you should give it a go."

.

"What do you want from this Rose? I told you that … I love you, but, you haven't really acknowledged that or told me how you feel about it."

"I … don't know. I definitely feel more for you than just … just messing around, but Scorpius I'm not just making excuses to Aaron and Colin. I don't want to date. I don't want a boyfriend. I don't want to … to …"

"I'm not Rowan. I'm not going to hurt you."

"But, what if it doesn't work? What if outside of sex we don't actually work? How much is it going to hurt our families? How much will it hurt your grandparents? What if we put them through all this pain and force them to accept something that none of them are going to like and then we don't actually make sense."

"Rose, we make sense. Even the sex isn't just about sex. You spend more time with me than Alice or Albus these days. We talk all the time. We were supposed to go this entire break without each other and we didn't last the first day. Every day since then I've wanted to be with you and I wouldn't have cared if it was just to hang out with you and your family."

"But that's just it. Will you ever be able to hang out with my family? Would my Dad ever accept you? Would he ever see you as more than Draco Malfoy's son?"

"I don't know, Rose, but isn't it worth it to find out?"

"I don't know. I just …"

"You say you have at least some feelings for me and I get that you're scared, but I'm not. I want to be with you. I want to introduce you to my parents and take you out on dates and I don't ever want to listen to another fucking guy ask you out and paw you when I know you're going to be in my bed that night."

"So, what are you saying?"

"As much as I hate it, I'm saying all or nothing. I want all of you or we stop."

.

"Your father is not happy, by the way."

"I'm not Rowan. I'm not going to hurt you."

"Give him hell, Rosie."

"I'm not Rowan. I'm not going to hurt you."

"The girl … so … beautiful and ready."

"I'm not Rowan. I'm not going to hurt you."

"I'm going to kill him, Hermione."

"I'm not Rowan. I'm not going to hurt you."

"I hope that you never let it go."

"I love you."

"I love you."

"I love you."

.

It had been a constant stream, over and over, reliving moments with Scorpius, her parents, Alice, and Rowan.

Rowan.

He had broken something inside of her, something she didn't even have the self-preservation to realize could be broken. She had fallen for him so easily, trusted him, loved him, planned a life with him, only to have it ripped away and leave her broken. She didn't want to feel that way ever again. Her heart still ached when she thought about him, but it was nothing to the pain she had felt the first few weeks. She had been so ashamed and blind sighted that when it came time to tell people what had happened, she simply said that they had broken up. She hadn't even been able to tell Albus or Alice the truth. There was no way she would have ever told her parents if they hadn't witnessed the whole ugly thing. She had hated the idea that people would know that she had been duped. She had fallen in love, and her love hadn't been enough. It hadn't kept Rowan.

And now … now she was healing. She knew it. She had never expected Scorpius to be the one to do it, but slowly he was trying to break down the barriers and get to those broken pieces buried deep down inside of her. She loved him for that. There was no denying that. He saw her for what she truly was. He knew her in a way that no one else did. He understood what it was like to be her and to feel the pressures that she felt, and he often knew just what she needed to hear. Years of fighting, competing, and being in nearly every class together had made them more aware of each other than she had realized.

All of this was precisely what was holding her back. Scorpius had picked her up from a place where she had no idea what she was doing or where she was going. He had done that, and she was feeling things she never felt with Rowan. If Rowan had been able to leave her a puddle of tears, locked in her room for weeks, barely eating, trying to figure out why she wasn't good enough, what in the bloody hell would Scorpius be capable of?

It all came down to whether or not she trusted him. He had known her hang up without her really even having to spell it out, and he had promised not to hurt her.

"I'm not Rowan. I'm not going to hurt you."

But how could he know? How could she know that he would be in it for the long haul? How could she know that she would be?

On his side, she knew his grandparents would hate her. There was no question about that at all. She would be the daughter of the Muggleborn and the blood traitor. How would she survive Christmas' or birthdays with those people? Worse even than that, what if she and Scorpius decided to get married and have kids one day? It was something she imagined Scorpius would want one day. How would his family treat their children? How would she explain those prejudices to a child who had no choice but to be born into a family where their very existence went against everything they had been taught? On the other hand, his mother knew about her, and she hadn't told him not to see her anymore. She had told him to make it official or end it. Maybe … if she could be okay with it … maybe there was hope.

But, Scorpius' family wasn't the only one with bias' to overcome. Her father and her grandfather both hated the Malfoy's. How would they react to her dating one? What if she became one? Her father had struggled with her being Scorpius' friend, and she was going to spring this on him and expect everything to be okay? Her mother had told her to hold on to love if she ever found it, but would she have said the same thing if she knew that the boy her daughter was thinking about was Scorpius Malfoy?

Rose knew that her family loved her and wanted her to be happy, but try as she might, she just couldn't see Scorpius sitting in her living room playing chess with her Dad while she and her Mum drank cocoa. It seemed like something out of a fairy tale.

Rose was brought out of her constant circular thoughts by the sound of the portrait being opened. Her body tensed immediately. She heard him swing the portrait shut, and his footsteps moved towards her.

She looked back at him to see he was wearing jeans and a Wimbourne Wasps t-shirt. No matter how many times she saw him in muggle clothes, it never got old. A small burn of desire had lit in her belly as he smiled down at her. Even though she had been in anguish the past 36 hours because of this boy, she was happy to see him. She smiled back and leaned up to meet his lips as he fell to his knees behind her. "Finally," he whispered against her lips, tickling them.

"I missed you, too," she told him softly. He put his legs out around her, and she fell back against his chest. Rose sighed as she breathed in his scent, that perfect mix of sandalwood and cinnamon that used to make her so angry.

Scorpius ran his hands down her arms and settled them in her lap after pulling her closer to him. She set her hands on his and their fingers laced together. It felt so perfect. It felt right. She was utterly in love with this boy, and, somehow, he loved her back.

Scorpius leaned down and settled his chin on her shoulder. "How was the rest of your break?" he asked.

"Good, yours?"

"My mum is mad at me for staying at the flat. Gran spent two days at St. Mungo's, but she's home now."

Rose turned her body to face him, pulling herself from his arms and leaving the quilt abandoned. "Are you ok?"

"I'm fine. She's …" Scorpius sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "They are so bloody crazy."

"I'm sorry." Rose pulled his hands into hers again.

"It's okay. I know they're crazy, but usually, I can pretend they are normal. This is just … I begged her to go." She could see the pain in his eyes.

"And, she still won't?"

"No. She still won't go." A flash of anger cut through the pain, and he huffed.

"I'm sorry," she said again as she felt useless.

"It's not your fault," he told her and leaned in to kiss her softly. She moved closer to him so she could feel his chest against hers. The flame in her stomach roared, trying to tempt her into a dangerous territory. They needed to talk. She pulled back, and he groaned.

"We should talk about …" She trailed off, and he nodded solemnly.

"Yeah, I guess we should."

Rose moved back from him and sat back down, crossing her legs. Scorpius sat in front of her, looking nervous. She was sure that she looked worse. "I can't lie. Clearly, whatever this is, it isn't what we meant it to be."

Scorpius laughed and shook his head. "No, it isn't."

"You said that you love me." She smiled at the words, and he did also. She felt like an idiot, but she didn't even care because he was clearly an idiot also. "I think … I do too, but …"

"No buts, Rose."

"There is a but."

"Can we just ignore it? Be my girlfriend already?" His girlfriend. Her heart skipped a beat, and she wanted so badly to just say yes.

"I'm not ready." She needed to figure her stuff out. She needed to decide what she wanted for her life. She needed to put Rowan completely behind her. She needed to find out who in the world she was without a boy to make plans with.

"Rose …"

"I'm not saying no, I promise. I just … I'm not ready. I think, I need to be me for awhile, give my parents time to get used to you being my friend, maybe meet each other's families and see what we would be getting into. I don't see this going away. I hoped that the feelings I had for you would go away, but they are only getting worse." She hoped that her Dad would get to know him as her friend and give him a chance. If this happened, then maybe when she was ready to be his girlfriend, Ron would take it better.

"Worse?" He raised an eyebrow at her.

"Stronger," she corrected.

"So, what are you saying then?" He seemed calm as he rested his hands in his lap and watched her carefully.

"I'm … I guess I'm asking you to wait for me." She felt a moment of panic that he may not want to, but his answer came quickly.

"Okay."

"Okay?"

"Yes. Okay."

"I don't know when I'll be ready." She didn't have a checklist for this. There was no schedule. She had no idea when she would feel like she was ready.

"I don't care." His voice remained even and calm.

"Okay," she said again, a bit baffled.

"Okay."

"No more naughty business until you're ready to really be with me." He winked, and she couldn't help but smile.

"Okay," she agreed. 

"Okay. I'm going to kiss you now, and it's got to be good if it going to last me however long this takes you."

"Okay." He crawled forward on hands and knees to her, and her heart jumped into her throat. One hand moved up to her cheek to caress her, and she sucked in a breath. He grinned at her reaction, and she could tell he was loving this. He leaned in the last few inches and brushed his lips over hers, barely touching them.

She let out a soft sound somewhere between a groan and a moan, and he actually chuckled at her. He leaned in again, his free hand moving around her back, and she was falling down to the carpet. Her legs stretched out towards him, and he moved over her. Rose looked up into those grey eyes that she had come to know so well and saw passion, desire, and love staring back at her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down.

His lips met hers hard and fast this time, and she arched up into him, mimicking motions her body wanted so very badly. Not knowing when they would get to do this again made it all so much more desperate, so much more powerful. His hands moved up her body, careful to stay over her clothes, but she could feel his breathing deepening and the hard evidence of what this was doing to him against her.

She was not nearly as polite. She moved her hands down from his neck and pushed his shirt up so that she could feel his skin on hers. Scorpius bit softly on her lip and moved his kisses down her jaw to her neck where he sucked and bit at her tender skin. "Scor…" She let his name slip past her lips, and he pressed down harder against her, making Rose wish that the clothes between them were gone once again.

"Fuck." He moved back from her neck to try and compose himself, but he was still rocking his hips against hers.

"Fuck," she said back, pushing at his chest. He sat back enough to let her roll out from under him, and they sat next to each other trying to catch their breath.

"I'm going to wait," he told her, "but I have to go right now."

"Go," she agreed. There was electricity shooting through her body demanding an escape, and the one person she wanted it from needed to not be sitting two feet away from her desperately wanting the same thing.

"Okay." He pushed himself off the floor and rushed to his room, pulling the portrait open and shutting it quickly behind him.

Rose grabbed her quilt and pulled it back around her trying to ignore the voice in her head that was telling her to go chase that boy down and tell him she wanted to be his girlfriend and shag him properly instead of this ridiculous over the clothes grinding nonsense. She rubbed her legs together trying to release some of the tension still building between them, but it was pointless. She could still smell him on her clothes and vividly remember the way he made her feel.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading. I would love to hear what you think of this chapter! 
> 
>  
> 
> XOXO  
> Meg


	14. Chapter Thirteen

The next day was hard, but not at all in the ways that Scorpius had expected. Al knocked on Scorpius' door like he did nearly every morning, and Scorpius had let him in and then shut the door behind his best friend.

"So, how did it go?" Al asked. Scorpius had told him everything on the ride back to Hogwarts the previous day. He told Al about his grandmother, he and Rose having sex for the first time after he told her that he loved her, and their conversation the night Rose had come over for dinner. Al had been less than thrilled to find out what they had been up to over break, but overall he was supportive.

"Well, it could have been worse. She isn't saying no. She basically said she feels the same way, but she needs more time."

"So you two are …" Al fell onto Scorpius' bed to sit and wait for his friend to finish packing his bag.

"Just friends, now," Scorpius finished.

"How is that going to work?" Al asked, raising his eyebrow in doubt.

"I don't know, honestly, but we're going to have to figure it out. I'm not going back to never talking to her unless we're fighting," he said seriously.

"It might be easier."

"Yeah, but she wants to meet my family and have me meet hers." Scorpius shook his head. As much as he wanted to be out in the open in theory, he was still worried about how it was going to work out when they put it into practice.

"That sounds serious."

"Just as friends."

"I think it's a good idea," Al told him.

"Yeah, until my grandfather calls her a blood traitor."

"Would it really be better if she was your girlfriend the first time she met him?" Al asked. 

"No, I suppose not,” Scorpius admitted. 

XXX

Two hours later, Scorpius and Albus were waiting outside of Potions when Rose and Alice arrived. Scorpius could tell Rose was nervous, and the smile she gave him and Al seemed forced. "Morning, Ladies," he told them as he attempted to calm his own nerves.

Al walked the few steps over to Alice and kissed her cheek. "Morning," she told them both, and Rose repeated the word as well. They all fell silent, and Scorpius tried to think of something to say.

"Not awkward at all," Al finally joked. To Scorpius' surprise, even Rose laughed. The rest of the class started to trickle in until Slughorn himself arrived to open the classroom

"So sorry," he roared. "Lost track of time." They filed in after him and took their seats at the tables. Over the last few weeks before break, Al had started sitting next to Alice, and Scorpius had moved next to Rose. It hadn't been a big deal at the time to let the couple sit next to each other, but now he was sitting next to her, and he had no idea what to do with his body.

Slughorn began to lecture, and Scorpius tried to listen, but the old man just couldn't compete with her lavender hair and the small bit of thigh showing below her skirt. Scorpius longed to reach out and rest his hand on her knee and pull it up to feel her skin, but he knew that was crazy and not allowed.

As the lesson ran on and Scorpius continued to be oblivious of what he was actually supposed to be learning, he grew warm and reached up to loosen his tie. Rose's eyes followed his hands, and he realized she had stopped taking notes several minutes previously. Her eyes met his and held them for what seemed like an eternity, but was in actuality only a few seconds. His eyes moved back down to that bare leg, and she twisted in her seat to cross her legs. This movement slid her skirt up further, driving him crazy.

His eyes flashed back up to hers, and he saw that she was grinning at him. That little … she was doing it on purpose. Scorpius pulled his wand out, glanced at Slughorn who was still droning, and tapped the Parchment in front of him. 'We're supposed to just be friends.'

She read his words, and her grin widened. 'I don't know what you're talking about.'

'You trying to kill me with that skirt.'

'I never promised to play fair.'

'Then I'm not going to either.'

'I'd like to see you try.'

'Game On, Red.'

XXX

After she had finished eating her lunch, Rose headed out of the Great Hall with every intention of studying during her long free period. Albus, apparently, had other plans for her. Her cousin met her at the door, walking fast to catch her. She didn't stop, but instead changed her path.

"So …" Al started. She glanced over at him and saw him avoiding her eye.

Rose rolled her eyes. "That git. He told you."

"Everything," Al agreed, nodding gravely.

"Everything?!" Rose hissed.

"Well … not the details, but enough. Alice knows though, so clearly it was okay for her to know. You know, Rose, I'm starting to think you love her more than me." Albus threw her a feigned hurt expression, and she rolled her eyes again.

"I love you differently," she told him, and it was true.

"Yeah, well, differently better mean you love me more." She knew that he was just teasing, but part of her couldn't help but feel guilty. They had been busy this year, well, really they had all been crazy busy, and she hadn't spent nearly enough time with Al. She missed him. Rose turned into a small alcove, and Al followed her, dropping his bag next to hers on the floor before flopping onto one of the sofas.

"So, you love him?" Al asked her, with no warning.

Rose looked him straight in the face and sputtered. "I … well … yes."

"But, you didn't tell him that."

"No."

"Why? I know I haven't been thrilled with this whole thing, but that was when I thought my best mate was just trying to get in your pants. He's serious about this whole thing."

"Yeah, I know he is," she groaned. "He's cut me off."

"Yeah, he told me he was going to if you weren't able to commit to being something more."

"He's such an arse."

"An arse that you've fallen in love with," Al reminded her. "So why won't you tell him you love him, and just get together already?"

"I'm sure he told you."

"I want you to tell me."

"Well, the main reason would be the fact that both of our families would lose their minds over it. I want to ease them into the idea. My dad is still stubborn about me being his friend."

"I get that, but you could ease them into it and still be together. Plus, they would have months to cool down about it before you had to see them."

"I also need to figure out what my plan is without thinking about Scorpius."

"You're going to get into the Auror program, we both know it.

"I could be dropped. It's crazy hard to get into."

"Yeah, well, not for you, Rosie. If someone on this couch isn't getting asked to join it's me," he was smiling, but she could tell that he was serious.

"No way," Rose nudged him with her elbow. "You're a shoe in."

"But, you see you two together at the end of all this?" Al asked her and changed the subject.

Rose knew she could fight his obvious avoidance of the subject of whether or not he was going to get accepted into the Auror training program, but she decided to let it go. "Yes," she nodded, a small smile spreading across her lips. "I asked him to wait, and I meant it."

"What if it all goes to shit with your parents or his granddad?"

"We'll figure it out. We can't go back." It had taken every bit of that sleepless night and headache-ridden day for her to come to this conclusion. "I can get a flat with the girls, and Scorpius has his already. As much as it might hurt, I can't let go of what we have just to make things easier for my parents. I'm going to try to make it as easy as possible for them to stomach, but at the end of this, I see him and me together."

"Well, Scor definitely is in agreement with you. Did he tell you about Christmas?"

"No, what happened?"

Albus laughed and shook his head. "Such a gentleman," Al mussed his hair, and Rose frowned at him. "Somehow, the conversation got to you, and it was slightly impolite, and his mum slapped the table. Right in the middle of pudding!"

"She what?"

"She told them all you were friends now, and they needed to be respectful or get out of her house." Al was laughing out loud now, no doubt imagining the looks on the faces of Scorpius' grandparents.

"What?" Rose stared in disbelief, unable to believe that she was dinner conversation at the Malfoy's house, or that she had elicited such a strong reaction from Astoria Malfoy. Maybe there was more hope of bringing the Malfoy's around than she had been letting herself believe, especially if Astoria was this willing to support their friendship to the rest of his family already.

"I know. Scor was furious. You should have heard him ranting about them all." It was Al's turn to roll his eyes.

"Furious at his family?"

"Yep."

"I have to go."

"What? Where … ?"

Rose leaned forward and kissed his cheek. "I love you, stupid jealous prat. I'll see you at dinner."

Al just grinned at her back as she hurried out of the alcove. Somebody had to do something to get these two stupid idiots together, and he was just right for the job.

XXX

Rose didn't really know where Scorpius would go on his break now, but she wanted to see him. She wanted to talk to him about Christmas. He hadn't told her any of that, probably because he was worried that she would insist it was just one more reason for her to think they should not be together. That was probably true, but regardless he should have told her.

She had decided to try their library and then his room if he wasn't in there, but she got lucky. She pushed the portrait of the Head Girl open, and she saw him sitting at the table, shoulders hunched over the parchment, hand in his blonde hair, teeth biting his bottom lip.

"Scorpius!" she demanded as she walked in the room. He jumped, dropping his quill and knocking his knee into the table. He swore loudly as he grabbed the sore spot, and she crossed the room to him. "What the bloody hell happened at Christmas?" she asked, not bothering to make sure he was okay. He was a keeper, if he couldn't handle a bumped knee he had larger problems.

"What?"

"Don't act like you didn't hear me!"

"Albus bloody told you already, didn't he?" She put her hands on her hips and just stared back at him. "Fucking Al," Scorpius grumbled.

"I was Christmas dinner conversation at your house?"

"You came up," he admitted sheepishly.

"I came up?"

"Yes. My grandfather, Hyperion, wanted to know who the Head Girl was."

"And?"

"He called you a chit." Scorpius reddened at the admission. 

"A chit?" Rose actually laughed at that. That wasn't really that offensive to her personally, maybe just to women in general.

"Yes."

"Is that it?"

"Er …" He avoided her gaze, staring at her shoes.

"What else?" she demanded.

"Well … my other grandfather may have started to make some comments about your parents." That would be the Malfoy side. The side that scared Rose. The side that her father didn't approve of.

"And?"

"My mother smacked the table."

"While you were eating pudding?"

"Yes," he confirmed, and her eyes grew wide.

"Wow."

"Yeah. I mean at the time I was just fuming, but now … it's kind of funny. She gave it a good whack." He smirked, and she just stared at him.

"You were fuming?"

"Hell, yeah, I was fuming. I love you, Rose. I don't want to listen to that shit." Rose leaned into him. She knew she was probably breaking his rules, but she didn't care. She laid her head on his chest and wrapped her arms around his back. She felt his arms wrap around her and his breath under her ear. She turned her head to look up and him, and he was staring down at her. His lips were inches from hers.

He wanted to kiss her so badly, but he didn't.

She wanted to kiss him even more, but she didn't.

"Thank you," she whispered.

"You're welcome." He moved a centimeter closer to her, and she pulled back.

"I'm sorry," she told him, tucking her hair behind her ear. "I shouldn't have."

"I thought you never promised to play fair." He cocked an eyebrow at her, and she blushed.

"Well, it seems a little wrong to use this to get you to break your rules."

"I wish you would," he admitted.

"Really?"

"Yes, but no. I'd rather wait."

"Okay. What are you working on?" She moved her attention to the table where he had been studying when she walked in.

"Charms Essay."

"Mind if I join you?"

"Sure." He moved back to his seat, and Rose moved around the table to sit at hers. Her heart was still racing, her palms sweating, and she couldn't stop thinking about his stupid, soft lips.

XXX

At dinner that night, Rose sat across from Alice which ended up putting her across from Scorpius as well. He was chatting with Euan and Al about something animatedly, and his hands flying through the air as he talked kept distracting her from Alice.

"Hello?" Alice said finally, waving her hand in front of Rose's face.

"Sorry." Rose blushed and looked back at her plate, pushing potatoes with her fork.

"Are you okay?"

"Al just told me some things about Scorpius' Christmas. Nothing major. Continue."

"I … well … I was just saying that Al and I are going to meet up after dinner, but I wanted to talk to you before you head out for your rounds if you can?"

"Yeah," Rose looked back up at her friend and noticed for the first time that she seemed off. Her voice was uneasy, and her smile that day hadn't been reaching her eyes.

"Are you okay?"

"Not really, but I'll talk to you about when we're alone."

"Ok. Just come to my room okay?" Rose reached across the table and squeezed her friend's hand. "I'll head there after dinner and wait for you."

"Okay." Alice tried to smile again, but pretty much failed. She looked down at her own plate and pushed her food around.

Over her shoulder, Rose saw Riley Greene approach Scorpius. That stupid cow had left him alone for most of the year after he had told her that he couldn't fix her schedule, but she seemed to have gotten over that now. She laid a hand on his shoulder, and he looked up at her and responded to whatever she said with a smile.

Riley then turned to sit backwards on the bench next to him, so close that their thighs had to be touching and that stupid slag probably had half her leg out for him. Rose couldn't see her face, but she didn't need to. The sixth year Slytherin Prefect put a hand on Scorpius' tie knot and pulled her fingers down it as her head leaned into him.

Scorpius laughed and smoothed his tie down, pulling it from her grasp, but Riley just moved her fingers down his shirt to his hip. Scorpius shifted his body towards her which allowed him to move a few inches back from her. He was still smiling.

Riley turned towards Al who had clearly said something to her that she didn't like. Her face was turned down in a frown, and she rolled her eyes. The next moment she leaned into Scorpius, and kissed his cheek. Rose dropped her fork, and Alice spun around to follow her eyes, as did Poppy. Tamsyn who was sitting next to Rose, and had been watching as well looked over at Rose and smirked.

"You totally do have the hots for him," she said, and Rose didn't pull her eyes away to confirm or deny. Scorpius had put a hand on that stupid little bitch's chest and leaned back. Riley said something else to him and then moved off the bench. She winked before she started walking.

"What a fucking slag." Poppy rolled her eyes. "She was just sucking face with Roland in the library before Christmas break."

"The Hufflepuff beater?" Alice asked, surprised.

"Yeah. Ugh ... the muscles on that one." Poppy groaned as if the thought of Roland's muscles hurt her.

"Who cares?" Tamsyn said, with wide eyes. "This one was about to cut her for touching Scorpius." She pointed her thumb over at Rose.

"Oh jeez." Poppy waved her hand. "Those two are totally doing it." She rolled her eyes as if the whole school knew this, and Rose choked on her pumpkin juice. "Well, you are, aren't you?" Poppy asked as if daring Rose to deny it.

Alice stared at Poppy with wide eyes as Rose tried to breathe properly again. "We … I … you … how?!"

"What?!" Tamsyn hissed, careful to keep her voice low. Rose blushed and tried to grin sheepishly.

"I'm pretty sure they've been going at it all year," Poppy said quietly and smugly.

"No! I mean ... not all year."

"Damn, I'm good." Poppy high-fived herself, and Alice shoved her with her shoulder.

"Oh, shut up."

"How?!" Rose asked again.

"You two are so obvious, you're always eye-fucking each other, and what else would make you go from wanting to kill each other to being buddy-buddy all the sudden?"

"You knew about this!" Tamsyn pointed her finger at Alice, and Alice just put her hands up.

"Oh, no, I'm not taking the blame."

"Can we stop talking about this?" Rose begged them all.

"For now." Poppy agreed, a smirk growing on her face.

XXX

Alice and Albus had found many perfect places to spend their evenings in the castle, but the one they chose that night was a small corner of the library that no one ever wandered into. It was surrounded on all sides by bookshelves with a small opening to allow a student to slip in. There were two armchairs, a table, and four chairs in the small makeshift room. It was quite nice for studying, but tonight they were not going to be studying.

Albus pulled her into him and kissed her softly. Alice let him for a moment and then pulled back and moved to sit down in one of the chairs.

Albus followed her and sat down. The chairs were angled towards each other, and he turned his body so that their knees were touching. "Are you ready to tell me what's wrong?" He had known of course that she wasn't the same. It had started at Christmas. She had been more withdrawn and harder to make smile. She had completely stopped talking about their plans for after school, changing the subject whenever it came up.

He didn't know what was wrong, but he knew it wasn't good. He had tried to give her space and time, but he was growing tired of waiting.

"No, but I need to." She pulled her knees up to her chest, and he couldn't help but feel like she was trying to keep from touching him, whether it was intentional or not. She pulled her wand out and cast a silencing charm.

"Okay," he replied uneasily.

"I haven't told you … or really anyone … everything about …"

As she spoke and struggle for words, Al suddenly realized what this was about. It had started at Christmas. James had been at Christmas. She hadn't told him everything about, "James," he finished for her.

"Yes."

"Okay. Tell me."

"We …" She closed her eyes. She had tried to find words so many times to practice this in her head, and she hadn’t been able to figure out how to do it. Nothing ever sounded right. Nothing could express how sorry she was, how guilty she felt. "It started the summer before fifth year."

"What?" His voice was quiet. He knew that Alice and James had been caught snogging more than half way through their sixth year. So they had … "How long?"

"Twenty-one months." The number spilled out without permission, gut reaction to tell the truth. It sounded terrible out loud.

"But ..." Albus looked at her, confusion filled his eyes. "He was …"

"Snogging every other girl in Hogwarts? Yeah. That was the problem," she told him bitterly.

"Was it just … just snogging?" Albus prayed that the answer would be yes, but he already knew in the pit of his twisting stomach that it was not.

"No," she admitted.

"Did you … with him … you … slept … with my brother." It had started as a question and morphed into a statement as he watched her pick at her fingernails nervously.

"Yes," she confirmed. "Once."

"Once?"

"I thought it would change things. I thought he would realize that he was being an idiot, but he snogged someone else a few days later, and I was done."

"What?! He did that to you?" Albus leaned entirely forward in his chair, barely sitting on it at all.

"I know." She closed her eyes and sighed. "He was an idiot."

"He's a bloody arsehole!"

"I know."

"Fuck, Alice."

"I know," she told him, earnestly. 

"Stop saying that," he huffed.

"I don't know what else to say." 

"Why didn't you tell me this? Does Rose know about this?"

"I didn't tell anyone. I didn't want anyone to know."

"I guess …" Fuck. "I realize now why you didn't want to date me."

She closed her eyes, and Al could tell this was hurting her, but she'd had sex with James and never told him. "I tried to …"

"You tried to change my mind," he finished. "Fuck, I thought you just kissed a couple times."

Alice was crying then, wiping the tears off as soon as they started to fall down her face. "I'm sorry. I screwed up."

Al moved out of the chair and started to pace in the few feet of space available to him. "Why are you telling me now?"

"I …"

Albus stopped walking and stared at her. "What happened at Christmas, Alice?" Her eyes shot up to his instantly, her mouth fell open, and his heart dropped. He was right. Something had happened. "What happened?" he asked again.

"It was the first time I'd seen him since he graduated. We talked outside in the tent."

"And?"

"Al …"

"Tell me."

"You don't need to hear this,” she whispered, shaking her head. 

"You don't get to tell me that."

Alice rubbed at her face with her hands and then dropped them down in her lap. "He asked me about us. I told him that we were serious, but that my relationship with him made it complicated. I told him that you didn't really know what we had been. He told me …" She closed her eyes again, that pained expression covering her face, but Al didn't care. He was pretty sure he knew where this was going, and if she was going to destroy him, he wasn't going to feel guilty for making her tell him the truth for once.

"Yes?"

"He said he loves me, and I told him it didn't matter, and we can't ever be together again, and then he … fuck, Al. Can we just not?" she pleaded. 

"No. I deserve to know what you've been keeping from me. Every minute of us was a lie."

"No, it wasn't." Tears were falling freely now, her eyes were dark and red and her cheeks were pale.

"Well, it certainly fucking feels like it right now."

"Al, I like you a lot. I wanted to … to just make this work."

"But, it doesn't."

"No.” 

"Why?" She was silent, crying into her hands. "What did he do after he told you he loved you?"

"He asked me if I love him."

"And?" She just sobbed louder staring down at the ground, trying desperately not to look at him. "Say it Alice."

"I love James." She choked out, finally letting it all out there.

"I can't believe you let me think that you wanted this, that you wanted me, that we could have ..." He was furious, and hurt, and embarrassed. He was shouting now, and his face was red, and his hands were flying as he yelled.

Alice stood crossing her arms. "You aren't exactly innocent, Albus,” she snapped back. "I told you last summer that you should find someone else. I tried! You just kept at it, kept insisting that it didn't matter, that we could be together."

"Are you fucking kidding me, Alice? If I knew you had shagged my brother and were still bloody in love with him, I probably would have backed off!"

"I hadn't told anyone, Al. No one! I was ashamed that I let him treat me like that, and I couldn't get over him."

"Did you kiss him? Did you fuck him there on Christmas with my family inside? With me inside? My own fucking brother?"

"NO! I mean, no, we didn't have sex. He kissed me. Al, I'm so sorry."

"Stop fucking telling me that you're sorry!" Albus roared and punched his fist against the wall like she had seen him do when he was mad at Scorpius months ago. "You kissed him almost two weeks ago, and now you're telling me?"

"I didn't know what to do."

"You tell me that day! You tell me then!" He backed away from her and buried his fingers in his hair.

"Al…"

"No." He dropped his hands, and his voice grew calm as he cut her off. "Just so we're both clear, and I'm pretty sure this is where you were going with this anyway, this is bloody over." He turned away from her and slipped out of the small corner. He heard her fall to her knees behind him, sobbing, just before he moved out of the silencing charm. His heart ached, urged him to go and scoop her up, that stupid girl that he was in love with, but his adrenaline pushed him forward, urging him away from her.

XXX

Rose held her stupid, stupid friend. Her arms wrapped around her, her quilt on top of them as they lay side by side in bed. She was going to kill James. She was going to hunt down that stupid, egotistical, fucker and kill him.

Alice had barely been able to get the words out, even after Rose had given her a Calming Draught. She had sobbed uncontrollably through it as the words rushed out in broken thoughts and half sentences, but Rose had figured it out. The broken words told the sad, stupid tale of her idiot cousin, and her stupid, naive friend, and her poor Al.

Albus.

Rose tried not to think too hard about how hurt he had to be right now. She prayed that he had gone to Scorpius, that Scorpius, Euan, or Darius had been able to track down Firewhisky, and that Al was getting shitfaced right now. She didn't even care that Scorpius was Head Boy, and Albus was a Prefect. Alice had pulled that boy's heart out and stomped on it tonight, and he needed to get wasted with his friends and forget her.

Alice.

She was finally starting to calm down though tears had long since soaked the pillow beneath her and half of Rose's shirt and sobs had rocked through her body for a good thirty minutes after she had finished trying to talk. That was the only thing saving her right now. Anything short of this raw and, frankly, terrifying emotion about the pain she had caused Albus would have left Rose shoving her other best friend out into the cold and chasing down Albus.

Rose couldn't believe how stupid Alice had been. All year she had been warning her, cautioning her about getting too close to Scorpius without any sort of commitment, and though she understood now where her meddling had come from, Alice had failed to realize she was making an even larger and more painful mistake with Albus. For some reason Rose was really not able to understand, Alice had fallen in love with James.

James was Rose's cousin, and she loved him, but that boy was … crazy. He had always been a player, always been so natural in the attention paid to him as Harry's son, always been so easy to smile, so easy to like. James was wild, and passionate, and he loved to have fun, feel good, and live in the moment. He was basically the opposite of Rose in every way, except his brain. That idiot spent more time on his guitar than he ever did with a book and somehow he still managed to skate by with incredible N.E.W.T. scores, which he was doing nothing with.

His friends had all committed to trying music for two years. Harry and Ginny hadn't loved the idea. They had pushed him to find a real career, to give something else a chance, but James wasn't having it. He was convinced that his band was going to be the next Weird Sisters and no one had been able to convince him otherwise.

Rose tried to see how she had missed her best friend and her cousin meeting up in secret for two years, but try as she might, she couldn't make it make sense. Neither one of them had ever given any inclination to the fact that they might be more that her friend and her cousin until they had been caught snogging. It had been just that one time, and Alice had played it off as a silly little infatuation so smoothly. She'd admitted that she liked him, and Rose assumed that they had snogged a couple more times before Alice finally told her she was giving up on James. She hadn't even seemed that upset about it, certainly nothing to elicit this.

Rose looked down at her friend and then over at the clock on her bedside table. It was nearly ten. Rose pulled her arms back, and Alice curled into a ball but didn't get up. Rose knew that Alice was aware that she had to go to her rounds. She sighed softly as she moved her eyes away from her friend and crossed the room to her closet. She changed her shirt to one that wasn't damp and pulled on a sweater. She moved over to grab her wand from beside the table and went through the portrait into her library.

She waited in her chair, legs bouncing, heartbroken, for twenty minutes before Scorpius appeared. His face looked devastated as his eyes met hers. She jumped up and went to him. "How is he?" she asked, knowing that he had to have seen Albus.

"His hand was broken. He broke a bunch of shit before he let me fix it."

"Oh, Merlin."

"Euan and Darius are getting him pissed. I was … surprised you didn't come looking for him." He looked disappointed and a little angry.

"She's not doing well."

"Yeah, well forgive me, but I don't give a fuck."

"Scorpius, she's still our friend."

"Don't Scorpius me. She lied to Al. She shagged his bloody brother and then tried to date Al while she is still in love with James. James is a fucking tool, and we both know that. I don't feel bad for her."

"She's destroyed over this. She's been sobbing for hours." Rose wouldn't let him turn her against Alice, not after what she had just held her through.

"Rose, she destroyed him." Scorpius pointed back behind him towards the Slytherin dungeons. "I've never seen him like this. I've never seen anyone like this."

"Well, neither have I. I love him, and I know she did the wrong thing, but I'm not just going to kick her out of my room when she can barely function even after a Calming Draught."

"I don't care what you say, I'm not going to feel bad for her. She fucking kissed James on Christmas with you lot inside. She was apparently snogging him out in some tent," he told her, indignant. 

"Well, I don't really think you should be casting any stones, Scorpius. She's just a girl. She's not perfect."

"What the bloody fuck does that mean? I didn't kiss anyone else when we were together, and we weren't even dating, and I certainly didn't love anyone. I fell in love with you!"

"First of all, we weren't together. Second of all, you seemed pretty bloody cozy with Riley Greene tonight at dinner." Rose had her hand on her hip, sparks of anger fllying through her. 

"You have got to be fucking kidding me, Rose!" A red heat was inching up Scorpius neck and into his cheeks. "I told you I love you, and I want to be with you! I don't give a flying fuck what Riley Greene wants, or who she screws, and I told her as much at dinner."

"Yeah, sure you did."

"You don't get to tell me to wait and be patient and then attack me every time some other girl shows interest in me! Of course, they are going to. As far as any of these girls know, I'm single, unattached, and haven't been seen with anyone in months, so probably desperate."

"Any of these girls?" she hissed at him. "Who else is trying to get in your pants?"

"Merlin Rose, leave it! I'm not letting anyone but you in my bloody pants, and not even you until you let me be your fucking boyfriend!"

"Good!" she screamed back. "And, don't be an arsehole to my friend! She's young, and stupid, and in love, and if anyone can understand that it should be us, so just get the fuck over yourself and find a way to forgive her for what she did to Al."

"I can't do that!" 

"She's one of my best friends, Scor. She isn't going anywhere. Chances are she's going to be my roommate now, and that drunk arse in there is going to be yours, so if you want us to work you're going to have to find it in yourself to figure it out!"

"I fucking hate you sometimes." Scorpius screamed, and he grabbed her shoulders and smashed his lips down onto hers. Rose moaned instantly, her mouth opening to let his tongue explore hers. She gripped at his back while he ground his body into hers, and her nails dug into him as he bit down hard on her lip. Rose pushed him back against the wall, and his hands moved down to cup her arse and pull her up against him. His mouth moved to her neck, and he bit down on her shoulder. He turned them to shove her back against the wall to help support her.

"Scor,” she moaned his name, her voice deep and hot, and she rocked against him. She was so fucking perfect, and he wanted her right here against this wall.

"Fuck." He pulled his lips away from her neck and leaned his head against the wall. His hands squeezed her one last time and let her legs fall. "Fuck," he repeated and moved back from her, his breathing heavy. "Fuck." He gripped the back of a chair and closed his eyes as he tried to calm down.

"You alright?" she asked quietly as her hand landed on his shoulder.

"Please," he took a step away from her, "just give me a second."

"I'm sorry," she told him softly.

"It's not your fault. We haven't fought like that in a long time." Rose laughed at that. They had used to fight like that all the time, screaming and being idiots until one of them drew their wand. Now, apparently, it just made them want to jump each other. "I'll try with Alice eventually, but right now I just need to be angry at someone for hurting him."

"Well, if that's your problem, be angry at James. He's a prat, and this is all his damn fault."

"Oh, I'm definitely going to punch that arsehole in his fucking nose the next time I see him." Scorpius nodded vehemently.

"Not if I get to him first."

"Good. We can both punch him in the nose. He'll still be better off than Albus. Do you think Alice is going to get together with that git?"

"I don't know. I didn't ask." They were both silent for a while, worrying about their friends and what was going to happen from here. "We should go do our rounds."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading. I would love to hear what you think of this chapter! 
> 
>  
> 
> XOXO  
> Meg


	15. Chapter Fourteen

In a cruel turn of events, it got easier for Scorpius and Rose to keep their hands off of each other after that first day. This was mostly because they were together substantially less time than they had been before. Albus was furious at the world and heartbroken, but the very next day he was just hungover and miserable, and Rose had pulled him away after Transfiguration. They had wandered up into an abandoned classroom near the Divination Tower and sat on the floor against the desk at the front of the room.

"How's your head," Rose asked him, and he snorted.

"Feels like my brain's been stomped on by a Thestral and shoved back in my head."

"How much did you drink last night?" She brushed a lock of his hair back from his face to see his bloodshot eyes.

"Not enough." She should have reprimanded him, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. She probably would have done the same thing the night she had found out about Rowan if her parents hadn't been there.

"So, what do we do now?" She pulled on his arm, taking his hand between both of hers. She rested their clasped hands on her lap and leaned her head onto his shoulder.

"You're going to take care of her," Albus croaked, his voice breaking, dragging Rose's heart down with it.

"What about you?" she asked softly. 

"I have the boys."

"And, me. I don't want to be something Alice got in the divorce. You're mine too." Al leaned over and kissed the top of her head, and Rose shifted into him, curling against his chest.

"You won't be. I just can't be around her. I'm pissed at her, and I'm pissed at James. One of them should have told me. She should never have agreed to date me, but..." Rose felt something wet hit her cheek, and she knew he was crying. She couldn't bring herself to bring attention to it. She just held her body against his and hoped he was getting some comfort from her. "I love them, both of them. Those bloody fucking arseholes." He pulled away from Rose, rested his elbows on his knees and held his head in his hands.

"I know you do." Rose rubbed his back as he leaned forward. She wished there was something she could do for him. "I would stop talking to her, if you wanted me to." The words hurt her, but they were true. Alice and Albus were both her best friends. She had grown up with them both. Learned to walk with them. Learned to talk with them. Learned how to be a friend with them. Learned how to share with them. Learned to play Quidditch with them. They were her everything, but in the end, Alice had fucked up. If Al asked it of her, Rose would tell Alice she needed a break. She would tell her that Al needed her right now, and she would be his rock, and his alone, but she knew Al too well for that. She knew that he was his father's son, and Harry Potter was nothing if not loyal.

"No," Al said tensely, "don't do that." Rose nodded even though he couldn't see her face.

"I love you," she told him. "I'm so sorry." She had rubbed his back and held him for another half hour. They had gone to lunch where she had watched him push his food around from the Ravenclaw table while Alice silently did the same in front of her.

Rose hated that this separation of her two best friends also separated her. She wanted to hold Al and let him cry whenever he needed it, which she was sure he hadn't done in his dormitory with his friends, but he put up walls, and he wouldn't let anyone in after that first day. So, instead, she had listened to his request and tried to be there for Alice. She hated that it meant she rarely had time with Al, but she listened. Alice became her study partner for nearly every subject, except Ancient Runes. Rose took to spending more time in her room with Alice or the regular library with all of her girlfriends, which Scorpius complained about every night during their rounds. He insisted that it wasn't his fault Alice had ruined everything, and he shouldn't be punished, and, Merlin, did it seem to him like he was being punished. He missed Rose, and he hated it.

As she was quick to remind Scorpius, it wasn't like Rose was having any fun. Alice was weepy and withdrawn. She was hard to get things out of, and she looked miserable nearly every moment of every day. Meanwhile, Scorpius' new study companion, Albus, had a recently acquired shit temper and a general 'who gives a fucking Knut' attitude about everything, including his lessons. Al was turning in his homework, but he was doing the bare minimum to fly by. The exception to this was the Quidditch Pitch where he seemed driven to exhaust himself into the inability to think properly. Scorpius and Rose had found themselves scrambling Tuesday morning with they realized that Alice and Albus were due to have rounds together that night. It had taken massive favors owed and persuasion to fix that problem nearly immediately, but Rose and Scorpius had done it anyway.

Three weeks after the breakup, nothing much had changed, but Scorpius was beyond frustrated. He had been planning to woo Rose during their study times and convince her that there was no time like the present to start dating. They had seemed to be off to a good start that first day, and then nearly all of their time was stolen. He felt bad for Al, and, if he was honest, for Alice too after he saw how miserable she clearly was, but he needed to get Rose on board with being with him, and this situation between their best friends was not helping.

He had tried to talk to Rose about spending more time together when they were studying Ancient Runes, but he had felt like a clingy idiot. He'd let it go without really finishing his thought. She had let him drop it without much of a fight, which just irritated him more. The Saturday of their third week back at Hogwarts, Scorpius was determined to get things back on track, and that was why he was fidgeting with his wand as they walked down the halls of the school during rounds.

"How is your grandmother?"

"I think the same. She could be worse and no one telling me, and I wouldn't be surprised," he told her truthfully. Now that he knew, he hoped his parents would be more forthcoming, but there was no promise that they would be.

"Surely now that you know, they wouldn't."

Scorpius scoffed. "You would think."

"I'm sorry they are all so stubborn," Rose sighed and shook her head.

"They think they're protecting me."

"I know."

"What about your family? How are they?" It was lame, but he didn't want to talk about his grandmother. She was sick, and there was nothing he could do about it. He hated it.

"Good, I think. I was thinking about not going home for break, but I miss them. I think I'm going to see if they'll let Al come visit so I can spend some time with him."

"That would be nice. Probably safer than sending him home with James."

"Do Harry and Ginny know?" Rose asked. One of the reasons she wanted to have Al stay with her was to avoid him killing James if he went home.

"I don't know what he's told them. They know Al and Alice broke up. It's not like he could keep it from them." This was true. The entire school, even the teachers knew that the couple had ended things. Hannah had tried to talk to Alice about it exactly one time, and Alice had absolutely lost it on her and told her not to talk to her about it again. She had rushed out of the infirmary and left Rose and Hannah to stare sadly at each other. Hannah had asked Rose to take care of her daughter for her and to please let her know if there was something she or Neville needed to know. Rose hadn't known if Alice sleeping with James and then dating Albus fell into that category, so she just nodded and walked after Alice quietly.

"We'll just have to keep him distracted."

"You mean, you and I, together?" Scorpius asked, infusing his words with sarcasm. "I didn't think we were allowed to be together anymore."

"Oh, shut it." She laughed at him and bumped his shoulder with hers. "It's Alice and Albus' fault. I would much rather be back to studying with you," she admitted quietly.

"Really?"

"Yes."

"Me too."

"I miss you." Rose told him sadly, and she reached down and laced her fingers in his. He didn't pull away, but he did stop walking.

"Will you have a date with me for Valentine's?" He asked, and she gaped at him.

"Like a real date?"

"Well, in our library."

"Oh." She was relieved and disappointed at his words all at the same time. "Yes. I will."

"Good." He picked up her hand and kissed it, and then he let it go, and they started walking again.

XXX

A week later, Scorpius was eating breakfast with Albus when he heard from his Dad again. Al was shoving food around his plate with his fork, and Scorpius was trying to ignore him and listen to Euan and Darius. Lately, Scorpius was moving from supportive friend to pissed off Head Boy. Al was seriously slacking off, and Scorpius was going to have to give him a kick in the arse if he didn't get his shit together soon. It wasn't something he was looking forward to.

When the post came, Draco's owl dropped a note next to Scorpius' plate and headed back out of the Great Hall without stopping. Scorpius picked up the letter and examined his name on the front. He almost didn't want to know. He peeled the seal open and pulled out the parchment.

Scorpius,

I wish I had better news, or that I didn't have to do this through owl post, but you need to know. Your Grandmother went into St. Mungo's yesterday. She should be going home as soon as they get her pain managed, and my father hires a healer to come to the Manor to care for her there. They said that she's worse, and we probably only have a couple of months left. I'm so sorry, son. I wish I could send better news. Narcissa loves you. She says that she is so proud of you and hopes that you won't let her distract you, as if that is even possible, but do your best.

Love,

Dad

Albus was looking at him when he finished reading the letter, so he handed it to him. Scorpius watch Al's face fall as he read the words. "This sucks," Al said as he handed it to Euan.

"Yeah. It really does," Scorpius agreed.

"This year is really not going the way it was supposed to," Al finally picked up a sausage and took a bite. Scorpius just stared at his juice and thought about his grandmother. What would his world be like without Narcissa? What would his grandfather do? Most days Scorpius was pretty sure that she was the only thing that got him out of bed. After the war, his father had bounced back, changed, gotten a job and made a reputation for himself. Lucius and Narcissa had mostly lived the same as they always had, and they seemed dependent on one another to continue doing so.

"Fuck," Darius said, his eyes on the letter.

"Let's go to the pitch," Euan told them. "Blow off some steam. I think we could all use some fun and not practice," he gave a pointed look to Albus who had been running the team ragged, but the captain ignored him.

"I'm in," Darius said.

"Ok." Scorpius nodded.

Al shrugged, and they took it as agreement.

XXX

Later that night, Scorpius and Rose met in the common room before rounds. "You got a letter this morning," she said before he could get in a word.

"We're not talking about that."

"I want to know," she assured him.

"It's your birthday." He frowned. "I'm not ruining your birthday."

"You can't ruin my already awful birthday." It really hadn't been awful, but it hadn't been great. She had woken up that morning, hoping to steal Scorpius to study, but it hadn't happened. He had gone out to the pitch with Albus, Euan, and Darius, and Rose had been left with her girlfriends. There was nothing wrong with her girlfriends per se, but nothing had been the same since Alice and Albus had broken up. Alice was distant, and Tamsyn and Poppy were trying to cheer her up all the time, and Rose felt guilty for not being with Albus and pissed that she never had any time with Scorpius anymore. She had meant it when she had said that she was not going to play fair, but her plans for that had been ruined when their only time together alone was rounds at the end of the day. She was hoping to change all that on Valentine's Day, but that was still nine days away, and nine days seemed like a long time when she already hadn't kissed him in twenty-eight days.

Scorpius sighed, shook his head, and handed her the paper he had shoved in his pocket. He watched her eyes follow the words his father had written. She closed the space between them and wrapped her arms around his waist, pulling him to her. She rested her head on his chest and felt him sigh deeply again. "I'm so sorry."

"I don't really know what to feel.” He pulled her in tighter. "What if she dies before I get to see her again?"

Rose pulled back and put her hand on his cheek. "That won't happen. Write your dad back, and tell him you want to see her before … the end. Neville will let you go home, I know he will." She had been with Rowan last year and seen him excused for Quidditch trainings. There was no way that Scorpius wouldn't be able to go home to be with his family when the time came.

"I will." He leaned his forehead down to touch hers and wished for the millionth time since that she had said yes to being his girlfriend. She would be with him now, and he could pull her into him and let her make him forget about St. Mungo's, and his grandmother, and whether or not he was ever going to see her again. Instead, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small wrapped gift. "Happy Birthday," he told her softly, and she grinned, grabbing the small box.

"What is this?" she asked, and he shook his head.

"Open it."

Rose pulled at the paper to reveal a small box. A small, square, jewelry box. She looked up at him and hesitated. "Is this …"

"Open it!" He rolled his eyes, and her fingers shook as she pulled the top open to reveal a small black key.

"What is this?" She reached out and touched it. She could feel the magic there.

"It's the key to my flat. I had it made to allow you to apparate directly in. The wards have been set up now."

"This is …" Rose trailed off and stared down at the key in her hand. It was silly for her to get emotional about a stupid key, but it meant a lot to her. After everything that happened with Rowan, Rose could appreciate the value of this key, her ability to pop in and out whenever she felt like it. She imagined that Rowan would never have been able to give her something like this for fear that she might … might … see something she shouldn't. She'd asked Scorpius to wait for her. She had no right to demand or expect him to do so, but he was, and he was willing to prove it.

"Is it okay? I was going to get you something else, but I thought..." Scorpius trailed off when she looked up at him and smiled.

"This is perfect." She leaned into him and kissed him softly, letting her lips linger on his even though she shouldn't. Twenty-eight days, and she still felt a pool of desire form in her belly at the gentle brush of his lips against hers. She wanted to kiss him harder, run her hands up his skin and feel him, but she couldn't. He deserved better than games tonight. "Thank you," she told him.

XXX

Rowan Wood was a fucking idiot. He knew that now.

No. That wasn't even true.

Rowan Wood knew he was a fucking idiot the very first time he'd kissed another girl other than Rose. It had been the summer before his seventh year. He and Rose had been together for nearly a year, and he hadn't gotten much further than feeling her up. He was desperate for her. He got hard nearly every time they fooled around, and it was fucking awful when she finally pulled away, every single time. He wanted to make her feel good, and he wanted to feel how tight and wet she was. Rose had been a virgin when they started dating, and after a year, Rowan was ready to change that.

That summer he had spent most of his days at a training camp put on by the Montrose Magpies. Each day he was put through the ringer and left exhausted. He would shower and fall into his bed and wake up when it was still dark the next day to do it again. Rose would come over at night occasionally, and they would roll around on his bed, rubbing against one another, her moans making him crazy, but never once did she let him slip his hand into her waistband, no matter how hard he tried.

One night in the beginning of August, they had gone to Roy Barley's home. Roy was a Hufflepuff in Rowan's year, and his parents had a pool and had gone out of town for the week. Rowan and Rose had both drank that night, definitely more than they should have, and he was worse off than her. She had dragged him behind her into the den, and they put their drinks on Roy's dad's desk. Rose had kissed him softly and pushed him down onto the couch as she giggled. His head swam as he had taken in the sight of her wild red hair and her pink cheeks above the small mounds of beautiful breasts peeking from her tank top. He hadn't been able to believe how lucky he was to have her.

She had wiggled her hips a little, accentuating the curves he loved so much and making him want those long legs below her shorts to wrap around him. With slow, agonizing steps, Rose had climbed onto his lap. Her mouth had started on his neck, and he had let out a guttural noise as her teeth grazed softly over his skin.

"Rose,” he had moaned, pushing his hands up her sides.

"Rowan." She breathed as she moved her mouth to claim his, her hands on his cheeks. Her tongue tasted him, and he eagerly responded. She ground down into him, and Rowan rocked his own hips up and into her. She moaned against his lips.

He had placed his hands on her hips, and he was guiding her, bouncing her softly against his jeans, desperately wishing the fabric would go the fuck away. He needed her. He needed her so fucking bad. He moved his hands down to feel her thighs under his fingers, and he nearly lost himself in the softness of her skin.

"I love you,” she had whispered into his ear.

"I love you, too,” he told her, and he did. Fuck, if she wasn't perfect than he was pretty sure the perfect girl didn't exist. She was everything he could ever want. Rowan had moved one hand back up over her shorts and pushed it under her t-shirt. His fingers cupped her breast over her bra and squeezed softly. Rose was breathing heavily, and he was struggling to think straight.

His mouth leaned down to the soft skin of her neck, and Rowan had nipped at her before kissing her tenderly in that spot, making her moan. He delighted in that sound, it was perfect. The hand on her thigh moved slowly then, feeling the denim of her shorts, moving between them. It popped the button there, and she didn't stop or notice or something. She just moved to kiss him, and he moved his fingers up to brush against her knickers and pushed them down.

She was off of him in an instant. Rose's fingers clasped the button back together, and she stared at him while her breathing was still heavy. "Rowan!" she said, exasperated.

"What?"

"You know I'm not ready for that."

"Are you kidding?" He was still trying to figure out what in the hell had just happened. The Firewhisky he had drank was not helping.

"No, I'm not kidding." She looked hurt, and he knew he should feel bad. They had talked about it so many damn times, top half only, bottoms were off limits, but he was so fucking hard and, "You brought me up here!"

"I thought …" She pushed her hair behind her ear and stood. "I guess I shouldn't have. I clearly gave you the wrong impression."

"Seriously?" He stood up and threw his hands into the air. "You were fucking grinding on me like you were about to shag me!"

"We do that all the damn time, Rowan. I still don't shag you."

"Well, maybe that's the problem!" He knew immediately it was a mistake. He shouldn't have said it, never would have said it without a little help from his potent friend.

"You're drunk," she said sadly. "I'm going home." She had turned to leave, and he had grabbed her hand. "We'll talk tomorrow." She pulled her hand back, and he let her go, watching her walk away from him in those perfect shorts.

"Fuck," he said again, picking up his drink and emptying it. He had known he was being an arse. Somewhere under the alcohol and the erection, he knew that he and Rose had talked about their boundaries very clearly and agreed that any change of them would be made when they were both sober and not already dying to feel more of one another, but he didn't care. He had been waiting a year, and he was so tired of her getting him hard with her perfect body and those whispers in his ear and then expecting him to just cool off and be okay.

"Trouble in paradise?" Rowan had turned around to find Annie Foster standing in the door frame. Annie was one of his Chasers. She was also one of the girls Rowan had dated before Rose. One of the girls who hadn't minded his fingers, or other parts of him, finding their way into her shorts.

"It's none of your fucking business, Annie." He told her tensely, and she had laughed as she shut the door.

"Rose is a good girl Rowan." She made her way to him as she talked, and he couldn't help but notice how incredibly short her skirt was, how small the bikini top she was wearing was. "She's going to make you an excellent wife one day. You will be quite the power couple. The Quidditch Star and the Golden Duo's Daughter." Rowan had frowned at this. It wasn't like it hadn't crossed his mind, or that she was even the first person that had said this to him, it just was the first time someone had said it like it was a bad thing. "But, what about right now?" Rowan had set down his drink, and Annie leaned into him. She had grabbed one of his hands and set it at the hem of her skirt while her other hand brushed against the front of his jeans and then rubbed softly against them.

"What about it?"

"What do you want right now, Rowan?" She had asked, and her mouth had been inches from his. He had smelled the Firewhisky on her, and he could still taste his own. He knew whatever was happening wasn't good. It was fucking bad. It was so fucking bad. "More importantly, is Rosie going to give it to you?"

"She's my girlfriend," he had said, reminding them both.

Annie had smiled. "Don't tell my Devin, and I won't tell your Rose." She had pressed her body against his then, her lips pushing hard against him, her tongue flicking against his lips to request entry into his mouth. He had squeezed the hand on her thigh and moved his other to grip her other side. She had moved both of her hands up to wrap around his neck and pull him closer, and he had spun them, so he could pick her up and set her on the desk. Annie had moaned as his hands pushed her skirt up, and the sound shook him.

It wasn't Rose's moan.

She wasn't Rose.

He had stumbled backward, his balance failing him as he teetered, but did not fall. "Fuck." He had said, staring wide-eyed at Annie. "I have to go." He had crossed the room in a heartbeat, pulling the door open and getting the fuck out of there.

Kissing Annie had been the beginning of something that he had let spiral out of control way too fast. He never let himself be alone with Annie again, but he also never told Rose what had happened. At the end of the training camp, the Montrose Magpies had invited him to sign with them effective upon his graduation from Hogwarts. He had agreed and then gone to a party they were hosting. One of many he would attend over the next year, as often as his breaks would allow it. Occasionally, Longbottom would let him out for a long weekend if there was a training they wanted him at. He was Head Boy, after all, the Gryffindor golden boy. Everyone looked up to him, and no one suspected a thing.

At that first party, the team had gotten him absolutely shitfaced to initiate them into their tribe. Rose hadn't wanted to come, probably to avoid putting them in the same situation that had caused their last argument. Actually, after that argument, he and Rose had never been drunk around each other again. The Keeper of the Magpies had come over to him with some girl whose name he didn't even remember and told them to "have fun." She had pulled him into a bedroom with a sly grin and used her mouth to make him forget that Rose had ever existed.

The next day he had barely remembered the girl going down on him, but he knew that it had happened. He tried to convince himself that he was a worthless piece of shit that needed to confess, but when he saw Rose that day she had kissed him softly and asked him if he wanted to go play Quidditch at her Uncle's with Albus and her cousins. He had smiled down at her and nodded, pushing the mistake from his mind. When she had pulled him away from the pitch in September and let him touch her for the first time, he hadn't known what to think. It had been the beginning of something new between them, and for a while, he behaved and the incident seemed like it was going to be a one-time thing.

When the spring came, his trainings started. He was pulled out of Hogwarts for the weekend twice before Easter and then three times before the year ended. Each time he went, he intended not to drink, not to be an idiot, not to cheat on his bloody girlfriend, but he failed each and every time. He never mentioned Rose to the team, and they never asked. He got smashed, and when a girl would inevitably come up to him with no intention of talking, he would end up with her in an empty room where he would bury himself inside of her as she moaned beneath him. It was disgusting. He was awful. He knew it, but he couldn't stop, and he couldn't tell Rose.

She was still perfect. She was still beautiful. She still loved him. She still had her wit, and her fire, and her laugh. That damn laugh, and when they were alone it was like she couldn't get enough of him. She would pull him into a broom closet, usually after Potions or Ancient Runes, and he would press her up against the wall and touch her until she came, and then she would return the favor. After Graduation, when she had whispered in his ear that she was basically giving herself to him on a fucking platter for his present, he had known that this would be it. He would have her, and he would be able to control himself and finally stop being a shit boyfriend, but he was wrong. He was so, so, so wrong.

He was good for three entire weeks, and then he had gone out with the team after practice. The girl had been staring at him the entire night. When he went out to get some air, she followed him. They didn't even bother to find a room. He held her up against the side of the pub while she wrapped her legs around him. He wasn't even that drunk when it happened, but he'd gone back in and drank some more and apparently decided it was a good idea to go see Rose.

She had rightly dumped his sorry arse that very night. Well, her father had kicked him out, and then she had dumped his sorry arse in a howler. Like an idiot, Rowan had told his father the truth, confessing everything, and Oliver Wood had been livid. He had made Rowan feel like the worst kind of human being, and Rowan had deserved it. He had stopped drinking, and more importantly, stopped fucking slags in bars because he was drunk. Oliver had made him start going to a Healer that specialized in addictions, magical and otherwise and paid the man well to keep his mouth shut about seeing Rowan. Something like this could ruin his career before it even started. He had really just started focusing on the actual Quidditch and not the bars some of the teammates went to after.

Rowan had thought about trying to get ahold of Rose over and over again, because, fuck, he needed to talk to her. He needed to tell her that he was sorry, and that he loved her, and he had accepted that he had problems and was getting help, and he wanted her to wait for him if it wasn't too late. He wanted her to give him a second chance to be the guy she had thought he was. By the time Christmas came around, he was desperate to see her. He thought about owling, but he figured she wouldn't respond  
Instead, he knocked on her front door in the evening a few days after Christmas. He knew he was taking a risk. He knew that her father could open the door and possibly curse him before he had even realized it, but luckily her mum had opened the door.

She had frowned at him, and then pulled the door shut so that it was only wide enough for her body to fit in the opening. He guessed that Ron was home, but in another room.

"Rowan, what are you doing here?" She sounded surprised and exasperated at the same time.

"I wanted to talk to Rose, to apologize."

"She isn't here. She's at Scorpius' flat with some friends."

"What?" It was his turn to be surprised. Scorpius and Rose hated each other. There was no way she would be caught dead at his place, with or without her friends.

"They've gotten quite close." Hermione said, and he just stared at her, wondering if she was saying what he thought she was saying.

"I … Are they …"

She cut him off. "What do you want from Rose, Rowan?"

"I just want to apologize."

"Then write a letter. She's moving on, and you should, too."

"Who's at the door, Hermione?" He heard Ron say from the other room, and Hermione glanced back at him. "You should go, Rowan. Please don't come back." She shut the door in his face then, and he stared in disbelief.

"Moving on with Scorpius Malfoy?" He asked, but the door was silent.

After that, he had asked around about Rose. She was not dating anyone, and she was definitely not dating Scorpius Malfoy, thank Merlin. His friends still at Hogwarts that year did tell him that she and Scorpius were friends now, that working together as Head Boy and Girl and their best friends dating had seemed to bring them around. There was a rumor apparently that they had gone on a date to Hogsmeade, but it had seemed to be just a rumor and nothing ever came of it. He still didn't really love the idea of Scorpius and Rose being friends, but at least, they weren't dating. Scorpius was a giant tool and he and Rowan had never really gotten on well, which had worked out for dating Rose because she hated the Malfoy git.

After hearing this news, Rowan decided that he needed to see her. He didn't want her getting any closer to Malfoy or some other guy before he could apologize and tell her that he was still in love with her. That was how he ended up in Hogsmeade the weekend before Valentine's Day. He knew it was a Hogsmeade weekend, and Rose had always gone to Hogsmeade, usually with him, so he was hoping that he could run into her there, and they could talk.

He started in the Three Broomsticks, mostly because it was warm, and he knew Rose had liked to sit in there for hours chatting with their friends. He walked in, and it was already full of students, laughing and talking, and shouting. He ran his eyes over the crowd, searching for that head of beautiful red hair, and he found it quickly.

He thought about buying himself a tea to warm up, but he figured he should probably talk to her first and see if she was willing to give him a minute. He approached her table slowly, noticing that it was full of girls, which made him let out a sigh of relief. Rose's back was to him. Alice and Tamsyn were sitting on either side of her, and Poppy was directly across from her and facing him. Poppy laughed at something Tamsyn had said, and then her eyes flicked up and met his.

"Bloody fuck," she said, her mouth dropped open, and she dropped a biscuit.

"Hello, Poppy," he said to her, and he saw Rose's body go rigid. Probably not the best start.

Alice and Tamsyn looked up at him as well, the latter grabbing Rose's hand tightly. Rose spun slowly, her disbelief being revealed to him as she turned in her chair.

"Rowan. What are you doing here?" Rose asked.

"I … uh … wanted to talk to you." Poppy snorted, and Alice and Tamsyn glared at him.

Rose's mouth fell open. "You want to talk … to me?"

"Yes. Outside, maybe?"

"No,” all three of her friend said in unison, and he looked around the table.

"I'm not going to hurt her," he promised them.

"You mean more than you already did?" Poppy snapped.

"Stop," Rose said softly, looking at Poppy. "I guess … a minute would be fine." Rose stood and waited, so he started to move back outside.

"Are you sure?" one of the girls asked.

"You don't owe him anything,” another added.

XXX

Rowan had stopped and waited for her on the side of the Three Broomsticks, and she stopped a few moments later, a couple feet away from him. "So?" she asked as she crossed her arms.

"I just … I wanted to tell you I'm sorry." He stuffed his hands into his pockets.

"Okay." She stared.

"I … I stopped drinking."

"That's good." Her heart was racing.

"I haven't been with anyone since … that night."

"Okay."

"I was the biggest fucking idiot in the world. I had you, the perfect girl, and I … I just shit on that, and Rose" - he moved close to her and grabbed her hand with his, but she didn't uncross her arms - "I'm so, so, so sorry. I wish I could take it back and just go back to what we were. I know that isn't possible, and I … I know that I hurt you, but … I'm trying to get better, and I guess I just … I was hoping that you would give me another chance someday. Maybe not today, or next week, but one day."

Rose stared at him, her eyes wide, and her arms fell down at her side. He kept holding her hand. "You want me back?" she asked incredulously, and he nodded.

"I love you."

Rose laughed harshly and then forced herself to stop. "Rowan, I'm glad you're not drinking, and I'm glad you've stopped sleeping with random girls in bars, but if you honestly think that I would ever go back to you, then you clearly don't know me." His face fell. "And, you're too late anyway. I'm involved with someone else and he ... " Rose thought about Scorpius. She thought about the words he had told her in reference to Rowan. He had all of that crap that I get plus you were crazy in love with him. She was crazy in love with Scorpius now, and it was way more than she had ever felt for Rowan. They weren't together yet, but she knew they would be. She needed her parents to know him, and she needed to figure out exactly what she was going to do after school without worrying about what he wanted, but then … then they were going to be together. "He would never, ever make me feel the way you did. Ever."

Rowan rubbed at the back of her hand. "Who is it?"

"It doesn't matter, Row. You need to go. Thank you for coming to apologize. It means a lot." She pulled her hand back and turned to go. Behind her, she saw Scorpius standing there at the edge of the building. His fists were clenched at his sides, and he was openly glaring at Rowan. "Scorpius, what are you …?"

"Can I punch him?" he asked her, closing the few feet between them.

"No, you can't," Rose told him sternly.

"So, it's true. The two of you …"

"We're just friends, you fucking arsehole," Scorpius told him. "But, I would still punch you in your fucking cheating face if she wouldn't hate me for it." He was leaning towards Rowan, pointing his finger into the older boy's face.

"Come on, Scorpius." Rose grabbed his arm gently and turned him

"Stay the fuck away from her, Wood!" Scorpius growled and let Rose guide him around the corner.

Rose pushed him all the way inside the Three Broomsticks and back to the back of the pub where they walked into the storage room again.

"I fucking hate that arsehole," Scorpius told her, kicking a bag full of something that was lying on the floor.

"I promise you don't hate him nearly as much as me."

"Then you should have let me punch him in the face," he shouted.

"Scor! Stop yelling at me! I didn't do anything! I'm sorry you didn't get to punch Rowan to make yourself feel better, but this isn't about you! In fact, pretty much anything to do with Rowan besides the fact that I am not now, nor will I ever be, getting back together with him has nothing to do with you." Scorpius deflated, his fists unclenched, and his ego seemed to calm down.

"I was listening to you around the corner. I heard you tell him …"

"That we are involved?" Rose smiled softly.

Scorpius pulled her hands down and moved into her. "But, not together?" He asked her softly, and she leaned into him.

"We will be," she whispered.

"Why don't we just be now," he asked her, his body reacting strongly to her promise and her presence so close to his. It had been over a month since he had really touched her. That ghost of a kiss on her birthday wasn't cutting it. He was a starving man standing in front of a buffet.

"Scor…" She pulled back, and he whined.

"Rose."

"You know why," she reminded him.

"I don't have to like it." His lips were so close to hers that she could feel his breath. He leaned into her and buried his face in her hair to keep from kissing her. "If that idiot touches you again, I'm going to hit him." He didn't need to see her face to know she was rolling her eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading. I would love to hear what you think of this chapter! 
> 
>  
> 
> XOXO  
> Meg


	16. Chapter Fifteen

Amortentia  
oOoOo  
A Scorose Fanfiction by Goldensnitch18  
oOoOo  
Rated M for Scenes of a Sexual Nature & Language  
oOoOo  
Summary: In their sixth year, rivals Rose and Scorpius   
have a moment of terrifying clarity when they   
both inhale the sweet smell of Amortentia.   
One year later, Rose is finally single and Scorpius is   
determined to snog the crazy out of her.  
oOoOo  
Disclaimer: I am not profiting from this story.   
Anything you recognize belongs to the great and mighty JKR.  
oOoOo  
Beta Magic: Many thanks to harpersbizarre and dragonjess  
for their time and work on this story.  
Chapter Fifteen

 

Four days later, Scorpius was standing in their library waiting for Rose. It was Valentine's Day. They had done dinner in the Great Hall at their separate tables against his will. She hadn't wanted to skip because she was worried about Alice and Albus. He knew she was right, but he also knew she was worried about the rumors of them dating being confirmed by them both skipping dinner on this particular holiday, and that annoyed him. He had scarfed his dinner quickly, mumbled an excuse about an Ancient Runes chart he needed to work on and gone to the library to get ready.

When the portrait in front of him started to open, Scorpius felt his stomach flip, and then he saw her. She had her red hair hanging down in soft ringlets around her face, and she was giving him a nervous smile. Her teeth grazed over her bottom lip as she bit at it, and her eyes flashed with something that looked a lot like desire. She had changed out of her Ravenclaw robes into a black lace dress that he had never seen before. It was short, stopping above her mid thigh, and he wanted to rip it off of her. As it was, he stammered out, "Please tell me you've never worn that before."

"I bought it for tonight." Rose smirked at him, and he knew she was playing her game, trying to break him, and he wasn't sure that she wouldn't be successful. He had worn black slacks and a white button-up, and he was feeling rather hot now that she was standing in front of him. She moved forward into the room, closing the portrait behind him, and walked over to where he was waiting for her. She snaked her arms around his waist and kissed him softly. "This is a date, and you don't get to not kiss me," Rose whispered after she had pulled back and he nodded.

"I wouldn't dream of it." He ducked back down to kiss her again as his hand found her neck and touched one of the few parts of her body he trusted himself with right now. He pulled back and took her hand, and they turned back to the room.

"It's beautiful," she told him, as she took in the floating heart-shaped candles that were lighting the room. Scorpius started to walk towards the fireplace, and she let him lead her to the blanket laying there in front of it. She sat down, enjoying the warmth from the fire while Scorpius walked over to the kitchenette. He returned with a picnic basket and set to work. He poured them each a glass of wine, which made Rose raise her eyebrow at him.

"I can be sneaky when I want to," he told her, smiling coyly. She just shook her head and took the glass. After the wine, he pulled out a small tray of fruit and a bowl of chocolate. "I know we had dinner, but I thought …"

"Looks delicious,” she told him, and she grabbed a strawberry to dip into the bowl. He settled himself next to her, one hand on the floor behind her as he faced her. Rose lifted the fruit to his lips, and he took a bite.

"Very good," he told her as he returned the favor. She closed her eyes and moaned when he had given her a bite. He felt his body react to the noise so often associated with other activities. "You're terrible."

"I'm usually successful at getting what I want," she told him innocently.

"I'm sure you are," he agreed, trying to watch the flames in front of him and not look too much at the black lace lining her shoulders. Fuck, just thinking about it was making him hard. He turned back to her to see that she was now eating the last of a small piece of banana. She put her finger in her mouth and sucked chocolate off of it. "Rose…" He groaned as if she was hurting him.

"You came up with this idea," she laughed.

"I thought it would be romantic," he grabbed the plate and moved it away from her, and she grinned, clearly having won some battle they were fighting. She took a sip of her wine, and he followed suit.

"So, what do we do now?" she asked and he grinned.

"Now we play chess," he told her.

"What?" she asked, surprised.

"You said it was important to your family, so I figured you and I should play before you take me home to your father," he pulled his board out from under his armchair, and she was amazed to see her pieces standing at the ready as well.

"How did you …?"

"I'm not telling you all of my secrets," he grinned. "Come on then, let's play." Rose began the game, instructing a pawn to move while her eyes never left his.

"What do I get if I win?" she asked.

"What do you want?" he asked, but he was sure he knew the answer.

"You."

"Rose …"

"What do you want if you win?" she cut him off, denying him the opportunity to fight her.

Scorpius was tempted to give the same answer as she did, but he didn't. "If I win, we tell our parents about us at graduation."

"Scor." She looked at him with doubt etched across her face.

"We can meet each other's families over break as friends, and by the time graduation comes around it won't be quite as big of a shock."

"I suppose …" she told him uneasily. Him having met her father once as her friend wasn't likely to make it any easier.

"Rose, I don't want to wait forever. You want to be with me. You'll have your plan figured out by then for after all this" - he waved around the room - "and I want you to be mine."

"Okay. Deal."

"Good." He took his turn and looked up at her, watching her attention move back to the chess board.

There were a few minutes of silence, each of them moving pieces, each of them scared to let the other win. "So, have you talked to Al about your job?" Rose asked, watching him now.

"No," he frowned and stared at the board, avoiding her eyes. He knew he should have told Al a long time ago, but it had never felt like the right time. "I'm not really looking forward to it now."

"The longer you wait, the worse it's going to be."

"I know that. I just … Merlin, he's so damn awful to be around right now."

"Have you talked to him about getting his shit together?"

"Have you?" Scorpius shot back, meeting her gaze. He knew she hadn't. He knew that he needed to do it, needed to help Al snap out of whatever was consuming him.

"No … but I'm also the one he told to be friends with Alice and still feels like a traitor." Scorpius watched the edges of her mouth fall. He knew this past month and then some hadn't been easy on her, and he hated it. He hated that she was stuck between two people she loved, and she was trying so hard not to judge Alice for being an idiot, still be her friend and support her. He was fairly sure he wouldn't have been able to do it.

"He's not upset with you for being friends with her," he knew it wasn't a lot, but he tried to reassure her.

"I know."

"Maybe we should say something to Harry and Ginny," he grinned at the thought.

Rose actually chuckled at that. "Are you kidding me? How exactly would that conversation go?"

"Your son is miserable and barely doing any of his prefects work or studies because his ex-girlfriend is in love with your other son. Tah!" He waved his hand as if he was actually saying goodbye to her Aunt and Uncle with wide eyes, and she laughed harder.

"Yes. That is just want they want to hear," Rose told him when she could breathe again.

"You don't think they are going to find out?"

"I'm sure they will. I can't imagine what James and Al are going to do the first time they see each other."

Al was going to punch James in the face. Scorpius had very little doubt about it. "It probably won't be pretty." There was a long period of silence again where they were wrapped up in their moves as they both got lost in thoughts about James, and Alice, and Albus and how royally fucked up everything had gotten.

"Have you talked with Ollivander anymore?" Rose asked, he could only assume to push away those thoughts.

"Yes. He's still sending me books." And, they were incredible. It was magic like he had never seen before. It was so much more than he had ever expected. Each wand different. Each wand perfect, made for some witch or wizard that maybe hadn't even been born yet.

"How is it going?"

"Good. It seems intense, but I already like it." She could tell from the smile he couldn't stop from spreading across his face that he was downplaying just how much.

"You'll be amazing."

"I'll have to be," to make up for what my family did to him.

"You will be."

"Assuming everything goes well this summer at the shop, he's going to take me through the entire process of making my first wand starting in September." Ollivander had warned him that it would take months and even then he may fail. It likely wouldn't end well.

"That will be pretty phenomenal, I expect."

"It will, won't it? I just … I honestly can't believe it's real most days, that he really picked me." Scorpius had never even applied. The man had just written him and asked him to come by. Scorpius had, of course. They had talked for a small time about nothing at all to do with wands, and then Ollivander had offered him the job.

"Clearly he sees's something in you," she told him, her smile lopsided like she knew the answer to a secret.

"But, what?" Scorpius shook his head. "I just wish I knew what it was that he was looking for." He took his turn and grinned at the board wickedly.

"Your game." Rose sighed sadly, seeing that she had no way out.

"I'll still let you kiss me," he promised, and Rose didn't wait. She crawled over the board, scattering their remaining pieces and kissed him softly. Scorpius pulled her to him and deepened the kiss, feeling her body against his. He wanted her so bad, but now he had a deadline. He had a date and a countdown, and he knew, with a little self-control, he could make it.

"Is it wrong that I'm a little disappointed about your loss?" he asked, breathing heavily against her lips when she pulled back.

"No. I'm very disappointed," she told him honestly. "What are we doing now?"

"Now … I'm going to need you to go change."

"Change?"

"As much as it kills me, because, Merlin, you look delicious, I need you to change into something warmer."

Rose narrowed her eyes at him, but she stood up and disappeared into her room. Scorpius waited for her for a few minutes and then she was back, standing before him in tight jeans and a black long sleeve shirt. She had wrapped a blue and bronze scarf around her neck and was putting on her jacket. Scorpius followed suit, putting on his own scarf and jacket which he had left sitting on the chair at the table. He then held up something up, and Rose recognized it immediately. "You borrowed the cloak."

"Yes." Scorpius walked over to her and kissed her again, softly. He was going to get as much of that in as he could without driving them both crazy while they were on their date.

"Where are we going?"

"Out." He grinned and threw the cloak over both of them. It covered them, but they had to be careful to walk slowly. Scorpius checked the hall before they left their library and then led her out of the school. They weren't out after their curfew considering they basically didn't have one and rounds would be starting soon, but technically hadn't started yet. He didn't want anyone seeing them leaving the school together and trying to find out why. As they walked, Scorpius held Rose's hand in his and rubbed at the back with his thumb.

Once they were out on the grounds, Scorpius led her down to the Quidditch Pitch, taking the cloak off once they were a safe distance away. "The pitch?" Rose asked curiously.

"I want us to have a memory here," he didn't finish that thought, and he knew he didn't have to. He wanted to drive out the thoughts of Rowan's hands on her, his fingers inside of her, her moans coming out for that prat instead of for him. He needed this place to be special to them. Rose rubbed the back of his hand like he had been doing for her.

"I'd like that," she told him softly.

Scorpius led her to the changing rooms, and she laughed. "Are we going to actually …"

"No!" He cut her off. "I wouldn't … that would be … weird."

"A little too claiming me, I think," she agreed. Scorpius waved his wand and two brooms flew softly towards them, stopping in mid air.

"You stole my broom also!" she chided him and rushed forward to grab it from in front of them.

"I told you I have secrets, and I'm not telling them."

"You foul little Slytherin," she feigned anger by poking him in the chest and stomping off towards the pitch.

Scorpius grabbed the training bag of Quaffles from the supplies area and followed her, wishing that her coat wasn't covering what he was sure would be a perfect view of her arse as she walked.

Scorpius and Rose mounted their brooms and for awhile, they just flew, testing each other's limits, enjoying the freedom of flight without purpose, without a Captain directing them. Scorpius had thought briefly about taking her on his broom and not stealing hers, but he knew they both could use this break.

After many laps of the stadium, dives, and turns, Scorpius moved his wand out of his coat and flicked it, pulling the Quaffles up into the air around him. Rose took her place at the goal posts, and Scorpius made a small swish. One Quaffle barreled forward, and she just barely clasped it with her fingers, stopping it from shooting through the hoops behind her. "Excellent!" Scorpius cried out and continued.

After she had caught all the Quaffles, they switched places, and she took her turn trying to shoot past him. He caught everyone as well, and she enthusiastically cheered for him while he laughed back at her. "What do you think will happen next week?" she asked him. She was flying next to him now, and the Quaffles had been charmed to launch themselves through the hoops at random. Scorpius and Rose worked as a team to stop them, which was harder than they expected it to be. They let three Quaffles through because of communication errors.

"I don't know. Al is killing us, but I can't imagine it will be easy for him and Alice to play against each other."

"I think we're going to win," she smiled cheekily.

"Yeah, yeah. Reigning victors and all." He rolled his eyes and waved his wands at the balls. They soared towards the abandoned bag below and flew into it.

"Don't be sore about it," Rose teased.

"I'm not sore," he told her with a chuckle. "Al might actually kill us all if we fail him, though," he added with a shrug. Rose would have laughed, but she was pretty sure he was only sort of joking. Al seemed to have thrown himself into Quidditch to avoid having to actually deal with the fact that he was still not coping well with his breakup.

"One of us really does need to talk to him," she said as they both landed, and Scorpius reached for the bag.

"Yeah."

"I'll do it if I get the chance, but I don't know if that will happen," Rose admitted. "I can ask him to get together during a break period if he will. He's been … I don't know."

"Distant. Grumpy. A loner. Let me try first. I'll let you know if I fail miserably," which was exactly what he anticipated happening.

Rose followed him back into the changing room and watched as he put away the Quaffles. She stood behind him, waiting for him to turn back. "So …" She glanced over at the wall she had let Rowan push her up against. The wall where she had broken her no-bottom-half rule. Scorpius turned back to face her and pulled her into him.

"What are you thinking about?" he asked, even though he was sure he knew.

"That I'm sorry you saw that," she admitted. Her eyes moved back to his, but her hand waved at the wall.

"It's not one of my favorite memories." Rose moved into him, and he wrapped his arms around her waist. "I wish ... I hadn't … with him."

"Yeah."

"Scor …" He watched a pink tinge spread across her cheeks. "Who … else have you been with."

"Oh …" He coughed and let go of her, and she took a step back.

"You don't have to answer," she assured him quickly.

"No, it's fine, I just … wasn't expecting it."

"Oh, ok."

"Uh …" He glanced over at the wall as if reassuring himself that she had also been with someone else. "It was … Penny."

"Penelope?!" She tried not to sound surprised, but it was hard. She liked Penelope Carter a lot. She wasn't anything like the Riley's of the world that Scorpius had usually taken to Hogsmeade or seen snogging in the hallways or at parties.

"Yes."

"Ok, now you have to give me details. Why the bloody hell would Penelope Carter sleep with you?!" Rose was actually laughing at him.

"Hey!" he said with indignation. "You slept with me!"

Rose leaned in to kiss him as she continued to laugh. "I'm sorry. That's not what I mean. You usually go for … well … I never knew you even dated."

"It was over the summer. It wasn't serious." Scorpius let go of her again and ran a hand through his hair nervously.

"How long?" she couldn't believe that Scorpius had dated someone, and she hadn't even realized. It's not like she stalked him or anything, but she did pay enough attention to know who he was dating.

"A month." A month seemed like an over exaggeration. His mother had been so crazy that summer that he had only gone out with Penny a couple times.

"And …" Rose wasn't laughing anymore. She was pulling long red hair back behind her ears and biting her lip.

"And … during that time, we went to a party at Al's." He had found out that Rose and Rowan had broken up that night, and he had gotten plastered. The two things hadn't necessarily been related, but he supposed they could have been.

"When did Al have a party?"

"Your Uncle Harry's birthday weekend." He watched the pins slip into place as she realized why she had missed the party.

"Oh." She had spent that weekend locked in her room crying while her parents took turns bringing her food she didn't eat and trying to comfort her.

"Yeah, and … we …" He remembered the way Penny had smiled at him as he fumbled with her clothes, trying to get her naked as quickly as possible. She had pushed his hands away and stripped herself quickly.

"Were you drunk?" Rose asked softly.

"Very."

"And then …"

"We broke up."

"Why?"

"It was just a mutual decision to not date anymore."

"What? Why?"

"Honestly…" He laughed nervously. "It was awkward afterward." Painfully awkward. He and Penny had woken up in Al's room, and they had both been blushing like mad, trying to find their clothes and get covered up. They had stumbled through awkward silence for a few minutes until she admitted that it was weird, and he agreed. Not that he hadn't loved it, but for some reason staring at her, all he could think about was Rose having broken up with Rowan, and he felt like an arsehole.

"Really?"

"Yes."

"And, that was it?"

"She's it."

"What about … other stuff."

"She was not it for other stuff."

"So, who?"

"Ehhhh … let's not," he told her, and she decided to trust him and just let it go. She doubted his skills in those areas had come from a few dates with Penelope, and she wasn't really keen to know just how many girls it had taken to teach him how to touch her like that.

"Ok. We need to do our rounds."

"So, are you ending our date?"

"I guess we need to." Scorpius stepped into her and pulled her close again. She turned her face slightly to the side as her arms looped around his neck.

"I had a really good night," he told her and felt her lips smile against him.

"Me too." She agreed, and his lips closed the insignificant space between them.

"Go out with me," he told her softly, the end of the year suddenly seeming eons away.

She ran her hand up into his hair and stared back into his eyes. She could see desire and love mixing in them and imagined hers must look much the same. The temptation to break was huge. She would have her offer from the Auror office soon, hopefully, and her parents wouldn't care too much, surely, well, they would get over it eventually, probably, maybe. She breathed him in and felt her body respond to him. Not only could she smell his normal sandalwood and cinnamon, but she could also smell the earthy scent of the Quidditch Pitch. It was utter perfection, and it took her back full circle to that day in Potions. The first time she had seen desire in Scorpius' eyes. That look had led her here, led her to make that stupid mistake with Rowan.

"I want to," she admitted to him softly, the words falling out in a moan.

"Then do it."

"I can't just drop this on them, Scor. I need my dad to see you as my friend first. I think … maybe … I can convince my mum. She said that she and your dad got along okay that last year. Maybe she will be okay with it. Then … she can help with my dad. Just … let's make it to break. Then … we'll figure something out." She was having trouble remembering why this mattered. Who cared if her parents cared? Who needs family anyway?

Scorpius kissed her hard, pushing her back against a wall, not the wall, but a wall in the same damn building, and it took everything he had to keep his hands over her clothes. She felt so damn good, and he was so close to not caring. They were going to be together. They were going to tell their parents. What did it matter if it was official right now or not? They were both carrying on as if they were already together, they had just stopped having sex, which was seeming increasingly stupid.

Rose opened her mouth to moan against his as she felt one of his hands run across her breast, stopping to tease her nipple with his thumb. "Scor," she breathed needily. "You can't do that." He bit down on her lip, and she pushed her hips forward against his. If he wasn't going to play by his own rules, she wasn't going to stop him.

Scorpius pushed back, feeling himself harden at the taste of her. This night had been so perfect. He wanted this all the time, her all the time. He wanted to hold her hand as they walked to class and kiss her softly in the hall. He wanted them to both stop being stupid jealous when someone hit on one of them because they didn't realize that they were together. He wanted their parents to know and not care and to have Rose at dinner with his grandparents without worrying about them offending her beyond repair.

Rose's back was hard against the wall and her broom, the one she had begged and pleaded with her parents for months on end and had finally been given for her birthday the previous year, lay abandoned on the floor, and she didn't even care. Scorpius' lips were on her neck, and he had pulled her up to wrap her legs around his waist, his hands squeezing at her arse. He was grinding into her, and Rose could barely think straight. Somewhere in some far off corner of her mind, the Head Girl was aware that she needed to get on doing her rounds, but the eighteen-year-old hormones part of her brain was hiding that behind a deep need to have this boy that she had fallen in love with keep touching her.

Scorpius tried really hard to care that this was going somewhere he wasn't supposed to want it to go, but he couldn't do it anymore. Nothing had changed. Despite their assertions to each other that they were not together, they were bloody together. She was in. It didn't matter what their parents said or what job she wanted, he was going to hold on to her as long as she would let him, and he didn't want to waste any more time being a good boy. He moved to let her legs down and popped the button on her jeans.

Rose felt the fabric of her jeans and knickers rolling down her legs, and she stepped out of them and her shoes in one quick motion. As she reached for her wand, casting the contraception charm on herself, she really wished she was still wearing the damn dress. One thought of him shoving it up her thighs to bury himself inside of her, and she dropped the stupid piece of wood to pull his black trousers open. Scorpius pulled her back up against the wall, and his mouth moved back to hers as he buried himself inside of her. It was fervent and hard, and he moved in and out of her as quickly as possible while she tried not to scream at the feeling of him finally filling her again.

Scorpius couldn't believe how fucking good she felt. She was so tight, so hot, and so damn wet. He had missed this. He had missed her. He had missed letting his guard down around her when they were alone and touching her when he wanted to touch her. He was a fucking idiot. What eighteen-year-old boy would stop doing this with a girl as perfect and sexy as his? He pulled his mouth back, moving it to her neck to bite down softly on her skin. Rose gasped and arched against him. Her hand was moving between them, and he wished desperately that he could bat it away and do the job for her, but he was holding her up against the wall. When her fingers touched that tiny, incredible ball of nerves she whimpered, and that sound drove him crazy.

It felt like seconds later, but surely it was minutes, Rose was crying his name into his coat, trying to stifle the noise as she came, her body seizing around him as he pumped into her. He closed his eyes, inhaled her perfect scent mixed with sex and just as her shudders started to ebb, he felt his release run through him. He bit down on her neck hard as she bit the cloth of his jacket in return. "Fuck," he whispered. "Fuck. Fuck. Fuck."

"I'm sorry," she said back, pulling her head back to rest on the wall behind her. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry. I'm just mad at myself for stopping in the first place."

"You wanted us to be together."

"Oh, fuck, Rose. We are together. We both know what we want, and we aren't going to be with anyone else. You do whatever you need to do, and I'm along for the bloody ride." He claimed her mouth, and she gripped his hair to kiss him deeper.

"I love you," she told him.

"I love you, too."

XXX

The day after the Ravenclaw/Slytherin match, Scorpius was sitting across from Albus at breakfast. Al was sporting the first genuine smile Scorpius had seen on his friends face in months. They had won. Scorpius knew he should feel slightly bad that Slytherin had ended up destroying Ravenclaw considering his relationship with their Keeper, but the look on Al's face was worth it.

"Hand me a sausage," Al told Euan, holding up his place for their friend to spear the meat onto. As Al shoved the sausage into his mouth and talked joyously about the spectacular job the team had done the day before, the post arrived. Scorpius received another letter from Narcissa pretending that she wasn't sick, and he and Al both received an envelope from the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. They both looked over at Rose to see that she also had an envelope in her hands. She was staring at them, and Scorpius couldn't help but think she looked quite ill.

Scorpius stood. He was not going to miss Rose's face when she got accepted into the Auror program. Albus followed him without a word, and he saw Rose stand across the room. The three of them met at the entrance to the Great Hall. Al smiled nervously at Rose, and she just seemed to turn a little green. "You okay?" Scorpius asked her as the three of them walked.

"No." She shook her head softly and stared at the envelope in her hands.

"No,” Al whispered next to her staring at his. Scorpius needed this to be good news, more than he had ever needed anything. He had finally cornered Albus the day after Valentine's Day, and it had not been pretty. He had tried to be calm and collected, but it hadn't gone that way at all. Al had started screaming his head off that he was sorry his misery had inconvenienced the Head Boy and Girl and wouldn't they just like to suck his … well … it hadn't been pretty. They hadn't spoken for two days. Then, before Quidditch Practice that Sunday, Al had come to Scorpius' room to apologize. Things had been slowly getting better since then. Al was doing his homework and studying for N.E.W.T.s and he was showing up for his rounds. His mood hadn't improved until the match had been a win for them, and Scorpius was pretty sure if Albus didn't get this job, all of the progress he had made was going out the window.

Scorpius wanted to reassure them, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. He was starting to feel sick for both of them. He didn't care what his said. He just needed Al and Rose to get in. He was holding out hope that if there was bad news coming for either of them, Harry would have warned them somehow.

It was several long minutes later when the trio walked into an abandoned classroom. Al walked through the door last, shut it behind him, and locked it. He moved over to drop his bag and sit on the floor with the two of them. Their knees all touched as they sat in a circle.

"Scor." Rose lifted her eyes from the envelope in her hands to the one he held.

"Yeah." He looked over at Al and sighed. "I have to tell you something."

"What?" Al felt a lump form in his throat, and he had to push the word out past it, causing a croak.

"I got offered another job. I'm going to take it."

"What?" Al deflated into himself, his eyes growing wide as his body seemed to shrink.

"I didn't apply. Ollivander asked me to come work with him. To train under him."

"What?" Al said loudly as the envelope in his hands fell to his lap.

"He wants me to learn how to make wands."

"Bloody … shite. That's amazing." Al's jaw had dropped open, and Rose was smiling broadly at him.

"I know. I'm excited."

"You told her?" Al asked incredulously, pointing at Rose with his thumb.

"Well, you haven't exactly been in the best of moods lately …" Scorpius explained softly, leaving out that he had known about the job much longer than that. The clenched mass of nerves in his chest was starting to relax.

"I guess." Al sighed deeply and looked over at Rose. "Just you and me then," he told her, and she tried to smile, but the result was not attractive. Scorpius frowned at them both.

"Go on. Open them!" he urged, and Rose turned hers over and broke the wax seal with a flick of her thumb. She slid the parchment out, and her eyes moved hungrily over words as moisture pooled in the corner of them.

"I did it," she said softly. "I'm in." Scorpius looked over at Al, not daring to show emotion until he knew both results.

Al ripped his envelope open and searched the letter desperately. Seconds later, he let out a loud "WHOOP!" and he launched his body forwards, each arm wrapping it's way around Scorpius and Rose as they fell into a heap against the wooden floor. They were all laughing, and Rose was hugging Al, and then Scorpius was hugging Al, and then Scorpius scrounged his way to Rose, and she kissed him passionately, not caring that Al was there. Al looked to the side, giving them their moment, a smile on his lips.

"So … I guess we're not on a break anymore."

"Errr …" Rose blushed, and Scorpius pulled her in again to kiss her.

"No. This witch is mine," he said against her lips and felt her smile again before she pulled away.

"We're going to tell everyone at the end of the year," Rose admitted. "We just …"

"I get it," Al told them, and to Scorpius' relief, he was still smiling. It was so good to see him smiling. He had nearly forgotten how much he loved having Al as his best mate.

"We did it, Al," Rose said in disbelief, laughing again. "We actually did it."

"Dad is going to run us ragged. Can't have favoritism." Even though his words seemed to be warning her, he was beaming as he said them.

"I can't wait." She threw her arms around him again, and he pulled her in tightly.

XXX

Hermione arrived first today, but she had only been sitting sipping at her wine for a few minutes when Draco joined her. He was paler than usual, and he held his wine glass tightly the moment he sat, pulling it to his lips.

"What is it?" she asked softly, and she reached across to put her hand on his.

"My mum," he said in the same tone.

"How bad?" 

 

Draco took in a deep breath and ran a hand through his hair. He'd come from the Manor where he had been forced to whisper-scream with his father outside the room because she could barely talk that day.

"Bad. My father … he's changed his mind. He wanted to try Muggle options, but Mum won't do it."

"Oh, Draco." Hermione squeezed his fingers in hers. "I'm so sorry."

"I honestly … I'm actually proud of him, but terrified."

"It had to take a lot for him to change his mind."

"If you saw her … Hermione …" He stumbled through clearing his throat. "She's going to die." He pulled his hand from her and buried his face in them. "There is nothing I can do. There's nothing Muggle doctors could do."

"Have you told Scorpius?"

"No. I've been letting him know that she's not doing well, but … I have to tell him that it's going to be soon. I don't think … not even the end of the Hogwarts term." Hermione stood, moving her chair around the table and sat next to him. He leaned into her, grateful for her arms around him, and he cried. It wasn't the first time he had cried in front of her, and he was sure it wouldn't be the last. She didn't know what to say, so she just rubbed his shoulder and wished she could help somehow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading. I would love to hear what you think of this chapter! 
> 
>  
> 
> XOXO  
> Meg


	17. Chapter Sixteen

They were due to go home for the Easter holiday in two days when Scorpius was called out of Potions on Wednesday morning. His face had fallen as the small third year had told Slughorn that Scorpius needed to go to the Headmaster's office at once. He had locked eyes with Rose for a single moment, and she had seen a deep and unshielded fear staring back at her. Rose's stomach twisted as he moved his eyes down to his bag, which he pulled up to cross over his body. Al put a reassuring and heavy hand on his shoulder, and then Scorpius was gone.

Rose had not been able to focus the rest of the lesson, and instead had relied on Alice to complete their work. She gnawed anxiously at her bottom lip while she tried not to immediately go to the worst-case scenario. She found herself praying to Merlin, Circe, and whoever else would listen that Narcissa Malfoy was still alive. Let him say goodbye at least.

Minutes trickled past like hours, and Rose tried to listen to Alice, to do what she was asking, but three times the other girl had needed to stop Rose's hand before it poured in the wrong ingredient. Across the table, Albus was tense and focused. He was staring intently at his cauldron as he poured in exact measurements and ignored her stares. She knew he had to be worried as well.

Finally, the bell rang to end the lesson, and Rose launched herself across the room and out of the Dungeons, moving as quickly as possible to Ravenclaw Tower. She was running by the time she reached the stairs and was nearly out of breath when she reached her own bedroom. She threw her bag down, took a moment to collect herself and stop panting like a large dog left out in the sun for too long, and then made her way through the portrait to the library. Scorpius's door across the room was open. Rose walked towards it and didn't bother to knock before she entered.

Scorpius was standing with his back to her. His shoulders were hunched. He had his trunk open on his bed. He was clenching the side of it so hard his knuckles were losing their coloring. Rose walked up behind him slowly, and slid her arms around his stomach. She rested her cheek against his shoulder and let out a soft breath as she felt him lean back into her.

It wasn't until she felt his back hitch against her that she realized he was crying. She moved around his body, and he pulled one hand back from the trunk to allow her to come between him and the trunk. She moved her hands up his chest and onto his cheeks. "What happened?"

"My dad … dad sent …" There was a trail of tears falling down his face, running under her thumbs. "She's dying, Rose. I can't … I don't know …" Rose kissed him, softly, trying to push away his pain, trying to share it with him, trying to give him something good in his misery to hold on to.

He pulled her closer and suddenly her soft, reassuring, loving caresses were overshadowed by his intense need to feel something other than the loss striking at his heart. His grandmother was going to die. Soon. Very soon. Rose didn't know what to do. She wanted to stop him, to tell him that he probably wasn't thinking straight, that he needed comfort, but he had pushed his hand up her skirt and moved aside her knickers, and she was doing everything she could not to lose her footing as he persuaded the wetness forming at her center. His free hand pushed back on his trunk as he leaned her down towards his bed, and with a loud crash, it fell to the floor.

He pushed her down until her back was on the soft familiar surface, and she felt her heart pounding as he readjusted his own body over hers. "Rose." He whispered, and she whimpered as his thumb ghosted over her clit.

He pulled his hand back to pull her knickers down her legs, and she bucked into him as he pulled his own trousers open and shoved them down. She wrapped her hand around him, moving it up and down until he brushed her away. After he had buried himself inside her, he didn't wait before he pulled back and entered her again, fast and hard. This wasn't like anything she had experienced with him before. He was grunting against her neck, biting her skin hard, way more than his usual teasing, as one hand found the back of her neck and the other held her hip. She wrapped her legs around him and responded to his plunges, meeting him with the same urgency and need that had him driving into her. He was broken. She wasn't stupid. She knew he needed her for something that wasn't really about her or about sex, and she knew this wasn't going to fix anything, but she could try. She could try to help him forget for a few short minutes what he was going home to. Each thrust into her was as deep as the first, and each tightening of his grip was painful against her skin. She moved her hands into his hair, grasping it between her fingers and pulled hard as his teeth bit into her shoulder where her shirt had slid down. She gasped in pain, and he moved to swallow the sound with his mouth. She grazed his lip with her teeth and felt him loosen his grip on her neck only to pull tightly on her own hair. The not unpleasant sensation seemed to shoot down her body and into her core where he was pumping into her quickly without reservation.

"Yes,” she whispered against his lips, and he crashed them into her as his hips bucked wildly against hers, and his breathing grew heavier. She knew he was close. She could feel his thumb digging into her pelvis, and his fingers growing even tighter in her hair. He came into her a minute later and then tried to slow his body, regaining control. He remained buried inside of her, and she breathed heavily against his neck, trying not to scream in frustration at the need still coursing through her.

"Rose, I'm so sorry,” he mumbled into her hair.

"What?" She moved her hands down from his hair to his face and pulled him up to face her. He looked worried.

"I hurt you." His thumb rubbed softly at the sore spot on her hip, and she kissed him.

"I'm fine." She kissed him again. "I liked it." She smiled as she felt a flush spread across her cheeks.

"Really?" He grinned back, and she laughed nervously.

"Did you?" she asked him.

"Fuck, yes." He kissed her again, and she bit her lip softly as he pulled away.

"I need my wand." She flushed again, and he pulled back reluctantly, moving to her side. Rose cast the charm against her stomach, and Scorpius frowned.

"Do you think we should consider a potion now that we're …" he trailed off but she knew what he meant. They had been insatiable since their date. They had been staying up way too late to learn each other's bodies and each time they used that charm. The longer you waited to cast it the less likely it would be to work. A potion was really best for someone who was regularly doing the things that they were doing, but it wasn't like she could just secretly brew one here. It took an entire month and ingredients she would need from Slughorn.

"Yes, but I just don't see how I could make it here,” she admitted, and Scorpius frowned.

"I could buy it," he suggested, and she frowned back at him.

"I don't know if I trust that …" she admitted.

"Yeah, well … we've been a little careless with using the charm before lately."

"You shouldn't attack me unexpectedly," Rose replied, teasing, but his face fell, and she knew the spell had been broken. He was back to the boy she had walked in on. She reached out and stroked his cheek. "I love you. I'm so sorry."

He took her hand from his cheek and kissed her palm. "I love you too." He rolled away from her, towards the mess on the floor. He used his own wand to clean himself and then fixed his trousers and flicked his wand at the contents of his trunk strewn across the floor. Rose moved up and off the bed, fixing herself as she watched him repack. After he had latched his trunk, he pulled her in one last time to kiss the top of her head. "I'll … let you and Al know."

"Okay." She felt a lump form in her throat as he let her go.

XXX

They were in the kitchen of Scorpius' flat. Something was burning, and she didn't even care because he was kissing her hard as he moved inside of her. He had one hand between them, tweaking her clit as she gripped his back, trying not to pass out. She had come out of his bedroom to the smell of bacon, and he had kissed her. She had moaned softly and kissed him back, which had led to this moment where she was sitting on the edge of the counter, her head starting to tilt back. Scorpius' lips moved down her neck to taste her, his teeth softly nipping at her skin, and ...

"Rose,” Al's voice interrupted, and she started, jumping up in her bed.

"Fuck," she said back groggily, rubbing at her eyes.

"What?" she asked, clearly annoyed. She had been having a really damn good dream.

Albus laughed at her and shook his head. "You better be glad I came up here to wake you instead of someone from your family." Her head shot up to stare at him open mouthed. "Oh, Scor…" Albus mocked, and he laughed again.

"Are you serious? Did I really …" She could feel heat radiating up her neck.

"Yes," Albus said, still laughing hysterically at her.

"Oh, shit." She covered her face, and Al fell onto her bed and pulled her in with one arm.

"Don't worry about it." He kissed her forehead, and she hugged him. They had been home for three days from Hogwarts, but they hadn't heard from Scorpius since he had left Hogwarts the previous Wednesday. Al had come home with Rose to stay with her, Hugo, and her parents during break. He hadn't really told his parents what exactly was going on, but he had let them know he couldn't come home. Rose had been elated at the prospect of two weeks with her cousin, who had been in a much better mood since receiving his letter of intent. As long as they passed their N.E.W.T.s, they would both be joining the Auror Department in a few short months. She could tell that he was a little put out about Scorpius' plans changing, but even that news had been taken remarkably well. "Your mum made breakfast," he told her.

"Ok." They walked down the stairs to the kitchen together and fell into chairs at the table where Hermione, Ron, and Hugo were already sitting.

"Al, this came for you with the post." Hermione reached over and handed him an envelope. Rose watched him open the letter, and his eyes move across the page. He pocketed it and avoided her eyes throughout breakfast as they made small talk with her parents until Ron and Hermione both got up to leave for work, leaving the cleaning up to the three students.

After they finished, Rose followed Al to the guest room where he had been staying. "Give it to me," she said the moment the door was shut behind them. Albus pulled the letter out and handed it to her. She saw that his face had fallen, and she knew what it was.

Al and Rose,

I'm sorry I haven't been in touch sooner. I've been with my family every moment since I got home. I just wanted to let you know that my grandmother passed away early this morning. We're going to have a service for her on Friday at the Manor at eleven. I really need you both. If you can come. Please come.

Love,

Scor

Rose felt her heart seize in her chest. She wanted to be with Scorpius now. She didn't want to wait until Friday to hold him and tell him that she was so sorry, but there wasn't really another option. She imagined he would be with his family non-stop the rest of the weekend getting ready for the funeral. She kept seeing his face in her mind from the last time she had seen him. When he had left her and gone home, she had felt lost and had wished that she could have done so much more for him than that few minutes on his bed. That lost feeling was nothing like this. Now she knew that he had to be in despair, but there was nothing she could do. She felt helpless.

"Rose." Al touched her shoulder, and she hugged him, burying her face in his shoulder. "We'll go. We'll help him," he told her softly, and she sobbed.

XXX

The day of the funeral, Albus and Rose flooed to the manor. Her parents were at work and Hugo was locked in his bedroom, not caring what they were doing or where they were going. They walked out of the fireplace to an empty antechamber. There were racks to hang coats, but it was a beautiful day and the hangers remained empty. Albus took Rose's hand and led her through the door to the right. He had been here before. She had not.

They walked into an entrance hallway where several somber witches and wizards were standing in small groups speaking with low voices. "Come on." Al pulled her through the small crowd and into another large room with a larger crowd. Al led her around the edge of the room to another doorway. This door led to a hallway, which he walked down briskly before turning left at the end and then leading her up a staircase. They went right, and then left, and then up again, and Rose began to think they were lost just as Al stopped and rapped on a door.

It opened immediately, and Scorpius was standing there. His eyes were bloodshot, and Rose let go of Al's hand to wrap her arms around him. He fell into her, his body compacting. He buried his face in her neck and began to cry. Rose started to cry as well, and Al backed away. He could give them this moment. He could be a friend later, and allow Rose to be a girlfriend now. "I'll be back in the hall," he told them, and Rose looked back at him.

"You don't have to go," she said, and he knew she meant it. He was welcome here, not intruding.

"No, it's okay. I'll just be downstairs if you need me." He patted Scorpius’ shoulder and kissed her cheek before he walked away.

Rose let Scorpius pull her in through the door and shut it softly behind them. He pushed her against it and kissed her hard. Rose wanted to help, and she couldn't figure out what to do other than kiss him back, so she wrapped her arms around his neck and pushed her body against his.

"I missed you." He murmured between kisses.

"I missed you, too."

He pulled back, resting his head against hers and sighed. "I love you."

XXX

He heard the door shut behind him a few moments later, and he sighed softly. He hoped that Rose could offer Scorpius some comfort, some calm in this shitty situation. Al found himself wondering how their parents - all of them - had made it through the war. They had all lost people, so many people, by this point in their lives. They had all been forced to keep going, keep moving forward so many times. Sometimes, Albus wondered how his father had had the nerve to keep doing it. He had lost his parents and then seen Cedric Diggory die. He had gotten Sirius back, only to lose him. He had gotten Remus back, only to lose him and his wife. He had made friends with Dobby only to lose him. The whole family had lost a brother and a friend when Fred had died. Fred's birthday had been that Monday, which of course meant it had been George's birthday, which he no longer acknowledged. It was the one day of the year that George lost his humour, April Fool’s Day.

"Draco." The voice was soft, nearly a whisper, but Albus stopped in his tracks. Holy Shit. The name was followed by a sob, and Albus froze. What the fuck. "I'm so sorry," his Aunt Hermione said just as softly. Al stepped backwards slowly and looked into the room he had just passed, an office.

He stood in shock and amazement as he watched the sight before him. It was like he was looking at Scorpius and Rose again, watching him cling to her for dear life, but this time it was Scorpius' father Draco and his Aunt Hermione embracing. Draco's chin was resting on her shoulder, and she was stroking his back. He stood there, watching, waiting, but they didn't move. Neither one of them looked up at him. The pair just stood there locked in their embrace. What the actual bloody fucking fuck.

The pair finally started to move, and Al ducked to the side of the door. "You need to get back." Hermione told him.

"You're coming right?" Draco asked, as if he was worried she was going to leave.

"Of course. Harry is downstairs waiting for me." Al realized that very soon, the pair was going to head right for this hallway. He nearly launched himself down it as quietly as he could. He walked out into the main room about a minute before Draco. Al scanned the room for his father and headed towards him, only to find that Mr. Malfoy beat him there. Al stood back, blocked by other parties standing nearby.

"Harry." Draco extended his hand and shook it.

"Draco, I'm so sorry for your loss."

"Thank you."

"How is your father doing?" Albus was sure his own father was just trying to be polite. He was sure that his dad had no kind feelings towards the eldest Malfoy.

"Not well, honestly." Draco frowned. "He's with Astoria already in the room. He's … we've been giving him a heavy Calming Drought."

"I'm sorry to hear that. Did Hermione find you?" his father asked, looking concerned.

"Yes, she did."

"She told me an interesting story before we came," Harry said pointedly.

"And?"

"And, I wish I'd heard it sooner. Lunch is always better with three friends don't you think?" Friends. Was that what his Aunt and Scorpius's Dad were? The scene he had just left seemed so intimate.

"We will have to remember that in the future." Draco Malfoy nodded once and turned to look around the room.

"Dad,” Al interjected, walking up to the two men.

"Albus!" Harry pulled his son into hug him to his side and released him. "Good to finally see you." His tone indicated that he was perhaps not happy with his son's choice to spend his break with the Weasley's. Just then, Albus felt a hand on his shoulder, and his Aunt Hermione was smiling down at him.

"Hello, Albus," she said in her normal voice, the soft, intimate manner with which she had spoken to Mr. Malfoy entirely gone.

"Mum?" Rose was standing behind Hermione, her mouth open.

Hermione turned, stunned as well. "Rose. You didn't tell me you were coming."

"Well, you didn't tell me you were coming."

"Your Aunt Ginny was busy. Harry asked me to come." The lie rolled out so quickly that Albus couldn't help but do a double-take.

"If you will excuse me," Draco said. "I need to find Scorpius, and we need to get started."

And, that was how Albus ended up sitting between his father and Rose at Narcissa Malfoy's funeral. He and his cousin both watched the back of Scorpius' head as the ceremony went on. Al found it hard to focus on the funeral or the loss of life when he was still trying to wrap his brain around what in the world he was just seen. As soon as the funeral was over, Albus pulled Rose's hand, leading her away. There would be a break for a celebration of her life, and then the most intimate members of Narcissa's life would stay to put her to rest.

"Al,” Rose hissed, "what are you doing?" He didn't answer her. He just pulled her behind him until they were out of the room, and he had spotted Scorpius. He beelined it for his best friend and grabbed him. "I need you."

"Al, I can't leave," Scorpius tried, but Al shook his head.

"This is an emergency. You need to come, now." Scorpius looked down the line of family to his parents who were shaking hands and smiling softly at witches and wizards leaving the room slowly, his grandfather was standing at the head of the line, his eyes glazed and far away.

"Okay." Scorpius followed them back up the maze of the Manor to the room Scorpius used when he stayed there.

Albus shut the door behind them. "Sit down," he commanded, and both of his friends did as they watched him curiously. "Okay. Is there something you two haven't told me about your Mum and your Dad?" he asked, pointing at Rose and then Scorpius.

Rose scowled and Scorpius frowned, confused. "What?" he asked.

"Anything?"

"They were sort of friendly when they were in their seventh year. My mum told me,” Rose said to him, "but that was ages ago."

"No." Al shook his head. "I don't know what the hell I saw, but it was not two people who hadn't been friends for over twenty years."

"What did you see?" Scorpius asked harshly.

"They were in your Dad's office. Your Dad was crying, and Aunt Hermione was holding him. It looked just like the two of you, holding each other. I swear. It was like deja vu."

"What?!" Rose and Scorpius both shouted.

"Were they kissing?" Scorpius asked, his skin several shades paler than normal.

"No," Albus said quickly, shaking his head. "She was comforting him, patting his back and holding him, but no nothing like that."

"Are you serious?" Rose asked, staring hard at Al. "Are you sure it was them?"

"Seriously?" Al asked, staring at her. "I know I'm not Head Boy, but I think I'm smart enough to know my own Aunt and best mate's dad. Aunt Hermione called him Draco."

"She lied to me. Straight to my face,” Rose said softly, remembering her mother's words about Ginny. In an instant, Rose was off the bed, her feet carrying her back down the hallway. Scorpius was chasing after her, and Albus was following him. She could barely hear the sounds of their shoes hitting floor behind her. Her ears were pounding as blood rushed to her head. Her mother had lied to her. They had talked about the Malfoy's before. There had been opportunities for her mother to tell her. Why would she keep something like this from her? Were they just friends, or was there something worse going on? Was that why she had kept it from her own daughter? Rose had always trusted her mother, and now …

Now, her heart was shattered.

"Rose!" Scorpius shouted, and she stopped, turning to face him. She knew there were tears brimming in her eyes, but she just wiped them away. "Let Al go get them. We shouldn't ruin my grandmother's …" he choked on his words and stopped talking. Al nodded, clapping him on the back once, and left them behind.

He raced down the final staircase and found his father. "Dad!" He ran over to Harry Potter and grabbed his arm. "I need Draco and Hermione. Can you get them for me?"

Harry looked at Albus with a furrowed brow. "This is his mother's funeral."

"I know, but … if you don't, Rose is going to come in here and explode at them."

"What?" Harry looked concerned then, clearly worried about his niece.

"She and Scorpius are together. They've been terrified to tell anyone and I saw … I saw Mr. Malfoy and Aunt Hermione together today. They were … well …"

"Oh, shit, Al." Harry walked away quickly and found Hermione. He leaned in to her and whispered in her ear softly. She looked over at Al, nodded, and walked towards her nephew as Harry walked over to Draco to repeat the process. Draco leaned in to Astoria who nodded and pushed him away from the line softly. Once the two men had joined them, Al led the way out of the room and up the stairs. No one spoke as they walked. No one said anything at all.

They found Rose and Scorpius in a library near where Al had left them. Scorpius was sitting on a couch with his head between his legs, and Rose was holding her arms as she stared at the books. She turned as they entered, but was silent. Harry entered the room last and shut the door. "What is going on?" Draco asked his son, and Scorpius picked up his head and laughed coldly.

"You tell me, Dad."

"What do you mean?"

"Al saw you and Rose's mum in Grandfather's office." Hermione's hand flew to her mouth, and Draco stopped walking.

"What were you two doing?" Harry asked, looking between his best friend and the man he had come to accept and admire in some small ways.

"I was just …" Hermione looked at Draco, and he sighed.

"Are you cheating on Dad?" Rose asked quietly, but her words carried easily enough as the room froze and everyone waited.

The door opened as she spoke, and Astoria stepped into the room just as Hermione said, "No! I would never." She looked at Draco for support. "We would never do that."

"No," Draco agreed, shaking his head. "We're friends, that's it."

"Friends?" Rose said, disbelief in her voice. 

"Yes. For a very long time. We thought it was best to keep it secret at first, and then we just kept it that way." Hermione's voice was calm and reassuring.

"It would have been a press nightmare. You don't understand what it was like back then. Your mother would never be where she is now if the Wizarding World thought she was friends with a Death Eater," Draco explained. "After so many years, it just became easy to keep it hidden, to have lunch at Muggle restaurants and to just not tell anyone."

Hermione looked back at her daughter. "I'm sorry, Rose. I should have told you."

"Should have told me?" Rose laughed, her voice growing tight.

"Yes, we clearly made the wrong choice." Draco agreed, his eyes sad as he watched Scorpius stare at him in disbelief. Astoria walked up behind him, putting her hand on her husband's back.

"The wrong choice?" Rose was an octave from shrieking now as tears rolled down her red face. "Do you two have any idea what you've put us through?"

"What?" Hermione and Draco watched her carefully, their faces turning from sorrow to confusion.

"Rose." Scorpius took a step towards her and took her hand. Hermione stared at their clasped hands.

"Rose, it's okay." Astoria left Draco and took a step towards her.

"You knew?" Rose asked her softly, the tears still flowing. "You knew they were friends? Did you know they wouldn't care?"

"I don't know if they will care, my dear, but I knew that they were friends." Astoria was speaking softly, as if she was trying to shield her words from reaching anyone but Rose. "Your father knows as well. We've always known."

"You knew that we …" Rose sobbed. "You knew, and you didn't tell us."

"I know. I'm so sorry,” Astoria told her. "Scorpius hadn't told me yet that things had changed, but I saw it today, the way you looked at him during the ceremony."

"What are you talking about?" Draco asked.

"Four months ago, I found Rose and Scorpius in bed together," she admitted after she turned to her husband, finally releasing that secret to him. Hermione stared at her, but didn't speak. "They weren't together at the time. I told him to end it or get together with her properly. It was my understanding that they chose the former option." She turned back to her son for confirmation.

"Things have changed," he admitted, and she nodded.

"I can see that."

"Rose …" Hermione took a step forward and Rose took a step back.

"No." Rose shook her head. "I've been fighting this all year. I've been trying so hard not to fall in love with him. I've been dreading telling you and Dad. I barely sleep because I worry that you won't want me with him, and I can't not be. I tried. It doesn't work. Even when I'm not with him, I'm still with him. What was I going to do if you and Dad insisted I couldn't date him? How would I tell you to shove off, because I know I can't stop being with him. We love each other, and we've been terrified to tell you, and this whole time you've been best mates with Mr. bloody Malfoy! I asked you, Mum! I asked you at Christmas, and you lied to me! You lied to me downstairs about why you came here!"

Hermione was crying now as well. "I know you did. I made a mistake. I knew it was the right time to tell you, and I didn't. I'm so, so sorry, Rose."

"No." Rose shook her head and pulled Scorpius hand, and they headed for the door.

"Rose." Her mother.

"Scorpius." And his.

They didn't stop, and no one moved to stop them beyond those two words, calling after them, chasing them up the stairs as Scorpius took the lead and led her back to that office where Al had seen their parents. He handed her floo powder, and they left the manor and their parents behind.

XXX

Rose collapsed into Scorpius as soon as he followed her out of the fireplace at his flat. She was sobbing heavily, her makeup running down her face with thick tears. She was a mess, but he held her as she cried against him, until only her shoulders were heaving softly as her tears stopped flowing. He led her to his bedroom then. She mumbled something about washing her face and disappeared behind the bathroom door. Scorpius loosened his tie and took off the robes and shirt that was now drenched with her tears and makeup. He rifled through his drawer and pulled on a new undershirt as she rejoined him.

"Can I have one of those?" she asked softly, and he handed her one. She had cleaned her face, but she still looked lost. He helped her pull her dress over her head and tried to ignore the way her body made him feel as she slipped his shirt onto her. He kicked his shoes off and pulled her over to his bed, where he covered her with warm, soft blankets and held her. She pressed her forehead against his and kissed him softly, prolonging the inevitable moment when they would have to talk about what had happened.

"Rose," he said finally after they had laid together for nearly twenty minutes.

"Yes?" She looked up at him, and he pushed a loose strand of her hair behind her ear.

"I have to go back."

"I know." She couldn't ask him to miss the end of his own grandmother's funeral, and she wouldn't love him nearly as much if he hadn't left her to be there.

"My dad … he'll probably want me to stay after and talk. I don't know when I'll be home."

She nodded and pressed her lips softly against his. "Go,” she whispered. "I'll be fine."

"Okay, but Rose?"

"Mhmm?"

"Stay here with me tonight?"

"Yes." He leaned down to kiss her nose and reluctantly pulled away from her, climbed out of his bed, and headed to his closet to get clean robes. It was going to be a very long night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading. I would love to hear what you think of this chapter! 
> 
>  
> 
> XOXO  
> Meg


	18. Chapter Seventeen

His mother was the first one to notice he had returned. The size of the gathering had diminished in his absence, and she saw him walk into the room, the grimace he had inherited from his father on his lips. She had put her hand on Draco's elbow and leaned in to whisper, "Scorpius," softly into his ear. Her husband had looked up at the doorway and stiffened. Unlike her, he clearly hadn't expect to see his son again that day. She had known Scorpius would be back. The boy she had raised was turning into quite the man.

Astoria moved away from Draco and towards her son. He watched her approach, his grimace shifting into a scowl. "Mother," he said shortly when she was next to him.

"Darling." She leaned in, placing her arm under his, looping them together. He kissed her cheek coldly. He hadn't forgiven her part in all of this. Her part of keeping secrets, his and his father's. "So good of you to come back."

"You knew I would be back," he told her as they watched Draco cross the room to Lucius' chair. His grandfather was staring at the window with glossy eyes.

"Yes, well, still good of you. How is Rose?" She felt him stiffen in her arm, and she nearly smiled. He was so protective of her, this girl that had completely enraptured him.

"Quite upset still." Scorpius kept his eyes on his grandfather as his father placed his hand gently on the older man's shoulder. Lucius looked up at him, his eyes not really seeing, lost. A tremor of grief ran through Scorpius at the sight. They weren't perfect, far from it actually, but his grandparents had loved one another. They loved their son. They loved him. Narcissa had taken so much of Lucius with her that it was hard to imagine the older man ever returning to anything near what he had been before.

"Waiting for you at your flat?" Scorpius turned to his mother, confused for a moment about what she was asking and then nodded.

"Yes." He had hated leaving Rose there alone, but he belonged with his family today. It didn't matter what was happening between them, family came first. He needed to be standing beside them when Narcissa was laid to rest.

"If you had told me things had changed," his mother started, and he resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Lucius had stood and was walking towards the back door, out towards the garden. Draco was saying his goodbyes to someone Scorpius didn't know.

"Well, I'm sorry you weren't the first owl I sent after Rose and I got together, Mum. Didn't realize Dad's secret relationship was on the line."

"Scor …" She actually shook her head, frowning at him. "Darling, there is no possible way you can understand what that woman means to your father. If he doesn't love her, I would die of shock." She didn't sound bitter or upset, or resentful, more matter of fact.

"You mean…" Scorpius frowned at his mother, trying to understand.

"He was broken. His life was over. His parents were facing criminal charges. She was the first person to show him genuine friendship and affection. In the beginning, our marriage was arranged. He certainly didn't love me then." As she spoke, Astoria led him out of the room and toward the gardens in the back of the house where Lucius had disappeared not long before them.

"So, you think Dad is in love with Rose's mum?" Scorpius knew that he had not been able to veil the disgust in his voice.

"No. I know that your father is in love with me and has been for many years, but I would guess that there was a time when he was in love with her, and, now … Hermione is his best friend."

"His best friend that he never told me about," Scorpius said sourly, holding the door open for her as they walked outside. He didn't want to think about what his dad had gone through so many years ago that made it okay for him to have lied for so long. He didn't want to forgive him right now. Rose was at his flat, probably sobbing into his sheets, and he wanted someone to be mad at.

"Do you think things will get harder for you and Rose now or easier?" His mother asked, shifting the conversation, pulling him along gently.

"I don't …" he stopped talking and frowned, thinking. Rose's father had no idea, and they hadn't really given Hermione or his father the chance to share their feelings. "I suspect … they will be a little harder, at least for awhile."

"A little?" Astoria laughed softly as they walked next to each other on the cobblestone path. "Do you think you will miss those moments you had when no one knew? When it was just you and her and nobody else mattered? My opinion didn't matter? Or your father's? Or the Weasley's?"

Scorpius' frown deepened as he thought about Rose's words in the library. He had known that she was worried. He had known that she didn't want to tell them, and that she wanted them to get to see him as her friend first, but the actual depth of what she had been feeling about her parents finding out about them had been kept from him. She'd said that she had been dreading it. That she had fought against loving him, that she was terrified. "Yes," he admitted. A not-so-small part of him already there, wishing he could hide from all of this with Rose in his bedroom and never come out.

"Then you understand, darling, why your father would want the same thing with this woman, his best friend who would have likely been dragged through the mud for associating with him." Astoria was smiling softly at him when his eyes found hers, and he sighed. He could see the connection, but it wasn't exactly the same. There may have been a reason for Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger to keep their friendship a secret, but now? Now they were both established, both respected, both adults. There was no longer a reason.

"Rose is livid," he informed his mother, as if that was the secret to the universe. A secret she surely had already figured out when she watched his girlfriend run from their house.

"She's hurt,” Astoria admitted, "rightly so."

"I don't know if she will be very quick to forgive." Scorpius had been on the other side of that rage. He had seen Rose Weasley in this state so many times before he couldn't possibly count them. He had been the cause of it so many, many times. Seen her cheeks flush, her hair flare out, her hands thrown into the air as she shouted at him. He had thrived on those moments before. Now, it made him sick.

"She will. She loves you and her mother. We all make mistakes. Even she makes mistakes." Astoria stopped walking. They were both standing in the grass now in front of his grandmother's coffin. Scorpius could hear footsteps making their way towards them, and he could see his grandfather in the distance sitting on a bench alone. For the first time that day, Scorpius wondered what in the world they were going to tell the eldest Malfoy once his Calming Draughts had worn off. How was he going to deal with all of this on top of losing his wife, his love, his everything?

"Scorpius." He heard the voice behind him, and he turned to face his father. He wanted to be angry. He wanted to. He knew that Rose was still so damn hurt and that caused a pain to flash through his chest, but after his mother's words … he couldn't be angry. He felt sorry for his father. He felt sorry that he had felt it was necessary to hide his best friend for twenty five years. He himself had hidden Rose for nearly seven months and that had been … excruciating at the end. It was going to be hard now. He wasn't exactly looking forward to meeting Ron Weasley as Rose's boyfriend for the first time, but at the same time, a huge weight was lifted off his chest. He was in love with Rose, and his parents knew. "I'm sorry." His father's eyes pleaded with him as he spoke softly, and Scorpius could see that his tie was slightly off center, and his hair was sticking out in several place from his hand running through it. It was a habit he had picked up from him over the years.

"It's … well … it's not okay, but I understand," Scorpius replied. "I don't … I know I didn't get to talk much back there, but … I just need you to know that I know she's a Weasley, but I love her, and she isn't going anywhere."

"Scorpius, I don't care that she's a Weasley." Draco held his hands up in surrender, his voice earnest. "I just want you to be happy. If I had known, I swear I would have told you. I thought you were just friends."

"We were never just friends,” Scorpius admitted.

"How long has this been going on?" His father asked, looking between his wife and his son.

"I kissed her the day after we went back to Hogwarts for seventh year. I wanted to do it for nearly a year before that, and so did she."

"But …" A mask of confusion spread across his parents faces. He knew they were remembering the several owls they had received during his sixth year about the two of them fighting.

"She was still with Rowan Wood until last summer," he explained, and they exchanged a look. He looked back over at his grandfather and heard his dad sigh behind him.

"We should get over there." His dad clapped his shoulder with his hand, and the three of them made their way down to the bench.

XXX

Alice was wandering.

She knew it was meaningless, and she should really just go home, but she didn't want to. Her parents were worried about her. They had been ever since she and Albus had ended things, but she'd never told them what had happened. Almost three months later, Al finally seemed to be returning to some semblance of the person he used to be, and she was just … wandering. Her parents were perfect. They would never really understand what she had done, how stupid she had been. Her father never would have treated her mother the way that James had, and her mother never would have let him.

And, then after that she had tried so hard to fall for Al. To feel something truly right with him, and it just hadn't been. It had been nice. She had felt safe, and loved, and wanted, and she had lied to herself for a very long time, but Al wasn't James. James had made that very clear, very fast the last time that she had seen him. She knew it had been awful. She knew that she was awful, but she had tried so hard to tell Al to leave her alone, and he had just kept being amazing, and she had decided to try and that had been the worst decision of her life. A decision she just couldn't tell her parents about because how would they possibly understand something that she didn't even understand herself.

And, on top of that, she kept remembering those moments with him behind the Burrow, and it was the worst kind of pain. She missed the smell of him, smoke, chocolate, and broom polish. She missed his stupid smirk and the way she felt when he touched her, and every time she remembered the way his voice had sounded when he had finally told her that he loved her, she would feel her chest clench painfully, and a lump formed in her throat.

It was so hard.

It sucked so bad.

And, it was all her fault.

It was her mess.

Hers to live with because there wasn't really any cleaning up at this point.

At some point, probably around the time she had starting thinking about how James had smelled at Christmas, she had stopped in front of the broom polish in Quality Quidditch Supplies. She was biting her bottom lip and staring. She knew which one it was. She had watched him fawn over his broom so many times that she couldn't possibly forget. She considered not grabbing it, not letting herself be tortured with the smell of him on her own broom, but she couldn't resist. She reached out, grabbed the tub, and walked towards the register to pay for it. A few minutes later, she left Quality Quidditch supplies with a small bag and an even worse mood. She was ridiculous. She knew it. She knew that it was miserable, and desperate, and sad to buy a stupid broom polish that reminded her of him, but she did it anyway, and that was worse.

Alice sighed as she walked into Flourish and Blotts. She could always use a book, she supposed, or at least waste time looking at them so that she didn't have to go home. She walked in, and the woman at the desk looked up, gave her a small smile, and then returned to the stack of texts she had been sorting. Alice tried to smile back, but it was probably a grimace. She wasn't good company today. She made her way to the back of the store where she knew she could hide for a while amongst the stacks. She drifted into the section designated for Healing, and ran her fingers softly over the spines.

She had been considering applying to St. Mungo's for awhile now. Her mother was an excellent Healer, and her father had passed down his love for herbology. She was good with potions, and she enjoyed helping people when she wasn't ripping their heart out and destroying it. Plus, Rose, Scorpius, and Albus were all considering careers at the Ministry, so she wouldn't have to see them during the day if she went this route. It wasn't that she didn't still love Rose, but sometimes she felt like she had to pretend to be feeling something she wasn't around her. She didn't want to be too hurt or too okay around her because she knew that Al was the one who had the right to be hurt, and sad, and move on first. Rose was really trying, and she had been a great friend to her the past few months, but it would be nice to have some time away from the people that knew what she had done. It would be nice to have a little space.

"Alice." The word was a whisper, barely a breath. She spun around, pulling her hand back from the shelf, her eyes locked on his in an instant.

"James." She felt her heart thud rapidly in her chest as her mind went empty, and her fingers tingled. He was wearing jeans and a button down shirt with the sleeves rolled. She could see half of the Bulgaria tattoo on his forearm, peaking out under the shirt, reminding her of the past.

"What are you doing here?" He looked over at the books on the shelf, and she followed his gaze.

"Just looking around." She licked her lips and tried to think of something else to say. Nothing came to mind.

"Oh." He seemed to be surprised and shocked into silence as well. Both of them stood there, two feet from each other, staring dumbly.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, realizing that this was a ridiculous place, the last place really, to ever run into James Potter.

"I … uhm …" He looked over at the books again, and then back at her, and then stammered something incoherent.

"What?"

"I needed a book … for … work," he rubbed his hands together uneasily, and she felt her jaw drop.

"What?" she repeated.

"For work, you know, that thing people do to earn money." He tried to smile, but it was more of a grimace.

"I know what work is, James. I didn't realize that you were doing it," she snapped in return.

He looked over at the shelf again. "Errr, yes."

"What are you doing?" she asked even though she was pretty sure she had figured it out.

"Eh …" He reached over to the shelf and pick up a book on healing potions, holding it up uneasily.

"You're .. a … wow." She stared at the book and then back at him, her mind racing. James wasn't supposed to have a job. He was a rock star. His band was going to top the charts and all that. He had a two year plan. He wasn't supposed to be training to do the same exact job that she had been considering. So much for that getting away from everyone plan. "How long?"

"Uh, well, I applied after … well I started in December." He looked even more uneasy now.

"That was before we saw each other," she said, as if he didn't know this.

"Yes," he agreed.

"But, you didn't say." It hurt. A lot. He had made a huge choice, and he hadn't told her. She was a non-factor in his life now. He could step in and kiss her, and tell her that he loved her, and ask her to break things off with Al, but he couldn't tell her he'd gotten a real job.

"Well, really only my parents know. They kept asking where I was going all the time."

"Oh. Why … the band?" she asked softly, and he shrugged.

"I realized … our stuff … it … made me look at some things." His voice was wrong. The normal sureness that was usually well past bordering on cocky was gone. Now there was a hesitancy to his words she had never heard before and a reluctance to answer her questions, as if he didn't want her to know what he was doing. Her chest did that painful clenching thing again as she realized he could have moved on. She hadn't seen him in over three months. What if he was … he could be seeing someone.

"Oh." Alice bit her lip, trying not to think what she was thinking. She was imagining him with someone else, some faceless woman who made him laugh, and who he didn't hide in broom closets. Even with this thought eating away at her, she wanted to move forward the two small steps it would take to press her body against his and kiss him. She wanted to feel his arms around her again and taste him. She wanted to forget that she was awful, and she had ruined everything, and he had been a prat, and that he could be with someone else by now, and just be with him. But, she couldn't push away the image of Al's face when he had made her say the words, I love James. "Well … I guess I should go …" she told him, and she quickly turned and walked down the aisle closest to her towards the front door.

"Have a good day, miss," the woman called after her, but she just pushed the door open and moved away from the shop as fast as her feet would carry her.

XXX

It was way past dinner when Scorpius went home that night. He used the Floo, and the moment he arrived his mouth began to water. Rose had clearly been busy. The entire flat smelled like cookies.

He loosened his tie and dropped it into the couch, followed by his robes, and then he walked into the kitchen where he found her still wearing just his undershirt over her knickers. "Merlin," he whispered as he watched her sway to the music coming out of his wireless. She hadn't realized he was home.

When a flick of her wand, she cleaned a bowl and sent it zooming into a cupboard. Scorpius moved over to her, unable to hold back a smile and delighted in the way she jumped as his hands reached to wrap around her waist. "Scorpius," she said after a moment and fell back into him.

"Sorry I'm so late."

"You're right on time." She reached onto the plate in front of her and grabbed a cookie. He leaned into her back, his body responding to the definition of her bum against him. She held the cookie up to his lips, and he bit down, chocolate chips filled his mouth.

He moaned. He couldn't help it. It was the best damn cookie he'd ever had in his life. "Damn," he told her.

"You like?" She spun in his arms, taking a bite herself, smiling. He was so glad that she seemed to be in a much better mood than she had been when he left. He was equally glad that she hadn't seen a reason to put on trousers, and he was pretty damn sure this was the best way to come home ever.

"Move in," he said suddenly, unable to stop the words, and the cookie Rose had been holding slipped from her fingers and hit the floor.

"What?"

"I …" He racked his brain, trying to find something that made this make more sense than he liked coming home to her in his undershirt. "I love you."

"I love you, too, but … that's … I don't …" She stammered, and he backed away, giving her space. She immediately crossed her arms over her chest and backed into the counter.

"We've basically been living together for the past seven months." He knew it wouldn't be exactly the same, but it was the best argument he had.

"Uh, no, actually, we haven't. House-elves make our food, and do our laundry, and we don't share a room, and we don't pay bills and we don't have jobs and we don't have our families breathing down our necks about living together."

"We can figure those things out. It will be fine." He tried to smile reassuringly, but she just stared at him like he was crazy.

"No, I'm sorry, I really am, but I'm not ready for that." She finally uncrossed her arms and reached out for his hand. " I love you, but I want to be on my own for awhile. Al is probably moving in here, and I'm going to live somewhere else with my friends, and we're going to have our own places for at least a little bit."

Scorpius frowned and closed the space between them again. "You really don't want me in your bed every night," he asked softly as he rubbed his thumb down her cheek. His other hand moved slowly up her thigh.

"We can always stay over at each other's places if we want, but if we don't want, this way, we still have our own space. We can still have time to get to know how this is going to work. Give my dad time to not murder you, which I promise you is exactly what would happen if you told that man we were moving in together."

"Rose …" he groaned as his hand reached around to cup her arse.

"Scor …" she feigned a whine, and he pouted, but she just laughed back at him. "I love you." She kissed him softly, her lips brushing against his, and he pulled her into him.

"You realize you're going to end up paying for a place you're never going to use, right?" Scorpius asked, and she couldn't really argue with that. She had her intentions, and her intentions were great, but at the end of the day she couldn't really imagine them spending most of their nights apart. Even knowing this, she knew that she needed to have her own flat. She had been so ready to live a life that was designed around Rowan's plans, and now she was going to live her own life. Scorpius was a part of that life, but he wasn't the whole thing. This thing between them still had a lot to make it through before she could commit to living with him, to telling her parents that they were sleeping in the same bed every night.

Instead of arguing, Rose just kissed him again. She let him lift her up onto the counter and sighed softly as his lips traveled down her jaw to her neck and shoulder, sucking softly as he left a trail of kisses on her skin. Just as she was beginning to moan softly, and his hand was sliding toward her knickers, a knock on the front door startled them both.

"Are you expecting someone?" she asked, her voice heavy with desire, and he shook his head.

"I'll go see who it is." He kissed her one last time and walked out of the kitchen to the front hall. A moment later, he rushed back into the room with his eyes wide. If Rose hadn't been worried, she would have laughed at the sight. "It's your dad!" He hissed, and she felt a cold shot of dread stab through her heart.

"Oh my … oh, fuck." She looked down at her clothes and jumped down off the counter and grabbed her wand from it. "Don't let him in!" She told him and padded quickly back to Scorpius' bedroom. "Shit, shit, shit." She rifled through Scorpius' closet and came up with a pair of too large sweat pants and a sweater. She waved her wand and managed to make them sort of fit. She pulled them on as she hobbled back down the hall, just as the knock came at the door again, louder. "Go … just … just go over there." She waved at him, and he didn't move. Scorpius stood in the hall behind her as she pleaded at him with her eyes. "Scor, please."

"No,” he told her resolutely. "We're out, and now we live with that."

"Scor, damnit!" She hissed, and the knock came again, more insistent this time.

"Rose? Please just … just open the door." She heard her dad's voice, unsteady and desperate. Scorpius stood in place, not moving.

"Fine." She glared at Scorpius one last time and took a deep breath as her hand turned the knob.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading. I would love to hear what you think of this chapter! 
> 
>  
> 
> XOXO  
> Meg


	19. Chapter Eighteen

Ron Weasley prided himself on the personal growth he had made in nearly twenty-six years since he and his two best friends had played a very large role in the defeat of Lord Voldemort. He had worked very hard to control his temper, and, most of the time, he was pretty successful. This growth had been helped along by being married to a woman that hated to be wrong, raising two stubborn children, and working as an Auror and then a shop owner. Each of these roles had come with lessons, and he had learned many along the way. His life had not always been easy, but that was okay. The hard bits always made him better in some way.

He and Hermione were happy. Neither one of them was perfect, by any stretch, but even after all these years he still couldn't keep his hands off her. He loved his job working with George, and she was skyrocketing through the Ministry. They were a united front when it came to her political aspirations and views. Ron had long ago come to love and understand that his wife would be fighting for those less fortunate than her until the day she died, and he still loved watching her face as she spoke passionately about her work.

One of the few things that still managed to get him going without much effort was anything to do with his children or his wife being hurt. So, when Hermione had burst into his office in the back of the joke shop, tears falling down her red, blotchy face, he had jumped up, concerned. Hermione did not blubber. He had seen her like this on very few occasions in their life, and he knew something was very wrong. She had gone to Narcissa Malfoy's funeral, and he couldn't imagine what could have happened to her there. Lucius would have been there as well as a few others who hadn't really let go of the old ways, but that wasn't anything Hermione hadn't been dealing with her entire magical life. She was barely affected by that anymore. This had to be something else.

"Mione?" He jumped up out of his chair, crossing the room to pull her into his arms. She clung to him and buried her face into his sweater. She was sobbing so hard he couldn't understand the words she was trying to get out.

Behind her, George appeared in the doorway of Ron office, concern lining his face. "Should I bring her some tea?" he asked, and Ron nodded. Maybe it would help her calm down. George disappeared down the hall, and Ron took a step back, trying to smooth Hermione's hair back from her face.

"Love, what happened?"

"R-R-Rose.”

"What is wrong with Rose?" He felt fear rising up in his chest as his anxiety levels skyrocketed. If something with Rose had Hermione like this, it must be bad. Hermione covered her face with her hands, shook her head, and tried to take deep breaths. She was trying to pull herself together to tell him something. He felt sick as he waited.

Minutes passed, and George returned with tea. Ron moved Hermione to the couch he kept in his office. George placed the cup in her hands, careful to make sure her shaking hands had a grip on it, and looked at Ron. "We'll be okay. I'll yell if we need anything. Thanks, George."

He waited for George to leave and turned back to his wife. She was holding the cup in her hands, which were shaking. Her tears were falling silently now, making tracks down her cheeks. "Is Rose okay?" he asked tensely as he took a seat next to her. His hand moved to rub her thigh softly, and she took one last deep breath before she turned to him.

"She's not hurt, but she hates me." She looked desperate, her eyes wide.

He felt his world right again. His chest unclenched, and his pulse calmed. Rose was safe. Whatever had happened could surely be fixed. "Hermione, Rose could never hate you."

Hermione let out a hard, cold laugh. "You weren't there."

"Where? The funeral?"

"Yes."

"What happened? Why was Rose there?"

"Rose was with Albus and Scorpius. She saw me, and I told her Harry hadn't want to come alone." She was staring at her cup now, avoiding his eyes.

"Ok, well clearly that wouldn't make her hate you."

"No. Al … he saw Draco and I alone in his office."

"What were you doing?" He was proud of himself for keeping the contempt he felt out of his voice. He loved his wife. He trusted her. He did not feel anything of the like for her friend. Mostly he felt a cool indifference, but occasionally in times like these where Draco Malfoy seemed to need his wife to be his support, Ron would fall back into his old ways of suspecting that the man was up to something, no matter how innocent Hermione may be.

"I was hugging my friend, Ron," Hermione snapped, well aware of his tendencies. "His mother just died."

"Sorry," he mumbled, and he leaned in to kiss her temple.

"Al told Rose and Scorpius what he had seen, and they … they were livid that we had lied to them and kept something like this from them."

"What?" That didn't make sense. Something was missing. Rose might be hurt that her mother hadn't shared this with her, but livid? Why would she hate her mother over something like this? At the end of the day, it didn't really impact Rose's life whether or not her mother was friends with Scorpius's father, even if they themselves were friends.

"I have to tell you something else," Hermione set her cup down on the small table in front of them. "But, you aren't going to like it, and I need you to try not to stay calm."

"What?" Ron asked, immediately starting to feel the opposite of calm.

"Rose is … She's with Scorpius. She told me she loves him." Hermione held Ron's hands, and he stared down at them his mind racing.

With Scorpius.

Scorpius Malfoy.

With him.

"Where is she?"

"She was worried about telling us, about telling you, and she's angry that I kept this from her because she's been terrified about how we will respond." Hermione was ignoring his question, trying to keep talking to him, trying to keep him there.

"Where is she, Hermione?" He demanded as he pulled his hands back, frustrated at her resistance to telling him.

"I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know?" His voice was more controlled. His hands slid down his trousers, trying to keep them from shaking.

With Scorpius.

She'd gone to him.

Over three months ago.

That owl had come, and she was gone.

With Scorpius.

She had just …

It had been most of the night.

Her with him.

Alone.

"She and Scorpius just left, together. I don't know where they went."

"How long have they been?"

"I don't know. At the least, Christmas."

He was right.

She had been alone with him at Christmas.

They had let her…

Merlin's sagging tit.

That night last summer came rushing back to him. Rose screaming at Rowan. The pure rage and adrenaline, and then Rose had stayed in bed, crying, and he had been so helpless. Hermione had promised him that she would be okay, that their beautiful daughter was resilient, but now she was with a Malfoy. This kid couldn't possibly be better than Rowan. He was Malfoy's kid. Rose had hated him for six years. She had come home fuming about him over breaks, and they had received countless owls about the ridiculous way they behaved towards each other at Hogwarts. She had hated the times that Al had brought Scorpius to family events, and they had seen first hand the feelings their daughter had towards the boy. Hermione claimed that Rose just didn't like being bested, and while Ron was sure that this was true, he hadn't minded the contempt the pair had shared. As far as he was concerned, having Hermione as friends with Draco was enough, if not too much, association with the Malfoy family for Ron.

Rose, his Rose. What was she doing?

Ron closed his eyes and tried to focus on keeping his wits, on not jumping to conclusions. Maybe she hadn't been doing what he thought at Scorpius' flat that night. Who was he kidding? He was a hormone riddled boy alone with his beautiful daughter. Ron had certainly taken advantage of every moment of alone time he and Hermione had been gifted when they had been young and stupid.

He stood and began to pace across his office.

"Ron?" Hermione was up and next to him in a moment. She forced him to stop walking and took his face in her hands. "You can't," she insisted.

"Can't what?" he demanded.

"Can't work yourself up and go tear that boy a new one. He isn't Rowan. You can't make him pay for that idiot's mistakes."

"They were alone nearly all night, Hermione." She didn't understand. This was his daughter. His little girl who had told him when she was four that she was going to marry him so she could be as happy as her mummy.

"I know." Her eyes were sad behind the puffy redness. "I know, Ron. I wish … I wish she wasn't … I think we both know what that means, but I just … I don't want to make it worse."

Ron scoffed, and began to pace again. "Worse than this? I'm not sure how that's possible."

"You going out to demand she leave him alone is going to make it worse, Ronald. She told me …" Hermione took a soft breath, releasing it quickly. "She told me that she was terrified to tell us that she is in love with him because …" She stopped talking lost in whatever would come next.

"Because what?" Ron asked, prompting her to continue.

"Because, she would choose him over us." Hermione finished, staring him hard in the face.

Ron felt like he had been punched in the stomach. She would choose him, that boy who had made her cry, made her curse and hex him, over her father and her mother who loved her unconditionally.

Unconditionally.

That word bounced loudly in Ron's brain.

"I have to go," he told his wife.

"Ron!" Her eyes grew wide, and she reached out to grab his hand.

"I'm going to see Harry." He pulled away from her to grab his wand off of his desk. Hermione was standing in his way, and he pulled her in to hug her. "We're going to figure this out." He tried to sound reassuring as he spoke into her ear. Her hair tickled his face. She pulled back slightly to kiss him. He responded with fervor, letting his mind try to wash away thoughts of his daughter and Scorpius Malfoy by replacing them with thoughts of this beautiful witch of his.

"Don't do anything rash. Please," she murmured against his lips, and he actually laughed.

"When have I ever done anything rash?" he asked her, and she shook her head. "I'm just going to go see Harry."

XXX

Ron stood outside the door of the flat. Albus had told him where to go. His nephew hadn't even needed to be pressed that hard. He had left Harry after several hours and gone home to find Albus sitting in the kitchen eating cookies that Hermione was baking. Albus had asked if he was going to curse Scorpius and after a simple assurance that he would not, Al had given him the directions. Ron had left their home again and gone to the flat where his daughter was with her, what? Her boyfriend?

Ron's head fell forward against the door, and he rested his arm above it. What in the world was he going to do? Harry had spent the better part of the day commiserating with him about their children. Both of his boys were moody and detached, not telling him what was going on between them. Albus had broken up with Neville's daughter for some unknown reason, and James had suddenly decided to get his bloody act together and get a job, but he was refusing to tell anyone why. Lily was way too much like her mother for any of their liking, and had come home with a new boyfriend over break and had a row with Ginny already. Ron had told Harry what Hermione had told him, and while Harry had understood the difficult spot Ron was in, he also insisted that Scorpius was a good kid, that he would be good for Rose. He had told Ron in detail what he had witnessed at Malfoy Manor, and Ron had sat with his elbows on his knees and his face in his hands for a long time.

The door in front of him seemed like a wall, nearly insurmountable, but he couldn't shake the way Hermione had looked when she had come into his office.

She hates me. It wasn't possibly, surely, but what if it was. What if Rose was that upset? What if she was letting this eat at her, pull her away from them? He couldn't let that happen. It was his job to keep them all together, a family, strong.

Ron lifted his head away from the door and knocked.

He stared hard at the door, trying not to look as terrified as he felt.

He tried not to focus on the twisting sensation in his gut as he shoved one hand in his jeans pocket.

He took a few deep breaths and looked down the hall. There was only one other flat on this floor. It was a small building.

He cleared his throat and looked back at the door, the peephole stared back at him, daring him to knock again.

He did, louder this time. Maybe they didn't hear. He didn't want to think about what that would mean.

Albus had been fairly certain that this was where they would be.

They could have gone for dinner though.

Or, she could be in there ignoring him. She could know he was out here and be choosing not to open the door. He decided to appeal to her the only way he knew how. He cleared his throat again and knocked a third time. "Rose? Please just … just open the door." His voice was strained and not at all his normal tone, but he supposed nothing about this was normal.

Just as he was about to turn and walk down the hall, he heard the door begin to open. He watched the knob turn, and his heart raced.

XXX

Rose took him in. Her sweet, silly, a little scary father, and she felt bumps rise on her arms. He looked lost. His eyes were wide, and his arm on the door frame seemed to be holding him up.

"Rose."

"Dad." She tried not to choke up.

He stepped towards her and wrapped her in his arms. He knew it had only been hours, but it felt like he hadn't seen her in days. He'd been so worried that he wouldn't get her to open the door for whatever reason that when she was standing there in front of him, he couldn't do anything but pull her into him. She laughed and sobbed at the same time as her face was buried into his chest. Ron kissed the top of her head and felt his body relax. She was okay. Some part of him had never been able to relax after Hermione had come into his office crying hours ago. Some part of him had needed to hold his daughter, see her for himself, before he could completely trust that she was all right.

Ron rested his chin on her head and looked past her to the boy standing behind her. Scorpius had his hands awkwardly shoved into his pockets, and he was staring right back at Ron. He looked incredibly uncomfortable, but Ron had to give him points for standing there at all. He wasn't sure that he would have been able to do the same with Mr. Granger at his age. The man had terrified him.

Ron pulled back, releasing Rose, who wiped at her face to get rid of the tears that hadn't soaked into his shirt. "Your mum is a mess," Ron said, deciding to ignore the boy for now. Let him sweat a bit. It wouldn't hurt him.

"Yeah, well …" Rose averted her eyes, staring out the still open door as her voice trailed off.

"She and Harry told me what happened," Ron admitted.

"So, you're here to what? Take me home? Make me apologize." Rose's voice had gained some of the heat he knew was hiding. She was a Weasley after all.

"I don't expect you to apologize," Ron told her, and he saw the boy move out of the corner of his eyes, taking a step towards them and then back to his previous distance. Clearly, he hadn't been expecting this.

"What about what I said to Mum?" Rose asked. Her eyes had narrowed, and her arms were crossed over her chest.

"She lied to you. We all lied to you." Ron forced himself to look at the boy. "Both of you."

Rose's eyes followed his and took in the boy as well. "But …"

"You don't have to apologize," Ron cut her off. "But, you do have to forgive her. She's your mother, Rosie. Nothing can change that."

"This was a pretty big lie, Dad. It's not like I can just be like 'Oh, Mum, it's okay that I spent the last seven months absolutely freaking out about you and Dad finding out about Scorpius when it turns out you and Mr. Malfoy are like long lost best mates or something.'" She huffed out air, and Ron rubbed his forehead.

"Seven months?" he asked softly, and Rose bit her lip.

"Yeah."

Ron nodded and rubbed his hands together nervously. "And, you … Mum and Harry said you … said that you …"

"I love him,” she told him firmly.

"Sir," Scorpius took a step forward.

Ron turned to him, held out a hand and shook his head. "No. You aren't talking yet." He knew he probably shouldn't be an arse, but he couldn't help it. A very large part of him was screaming that he needed to pull Rose away from this git and never let her see him again. A smaller, smarter part of him was insisting that he would be the loser in that situation. Hermione and Harry had both told him as much.

"Dad," Rose said, disappointment lacing her words.

"You don't get to Dad me about that." Ron looked at her, but he pointed at Scorpius. "Seven months you've been with this … boy, and you don't tell your own father? What am I supposed to think about that?"

"That I'm a grown…"

"Oh, no you don't,” Ron said, his voice still calm, the lion inside him roaring. "You may be eighteen now, Rose, but you are still in school, you are still my daughter, and you are still living in my house. Even if we don't have a right to know, I thought you would at least afford us the decency of knowing you were seeing someone."

"I didn't," Rose started and then stopped. Tears were forming again at the edges of her eyes and her crossed arms curled in to hug her chest. "I thought you would …" She closed her eyes. "I thought you wouldn't look at me the same, that being with him would change how you and Mum saw me."

Ron looked at Scorpius while she talked. The pain on his face while he watched her and listened to her words was clear. That was a good sign at least.

"Rosie, when have we ever given you the impression that you could ever make us think less of you? When … last year when … I was angry at him, not at you. Yeah, sometimes you and Hugo are idiots, and I wish I could protect you from making some of the choices you've made, but I can't." Ron looked over at Scorpius again, and the boy was looking at him now. "If you really wanted to be with this boy, we would have trusted you like we always have, even if I thought you were being an idiot again. May not understand it …" Ron paused, shaking his head as he thought of the absurdity of him giving his daughter his blessing to date Draco Malfoy's son. "But, we would have given you the chance to show us. Now, I have no idea what is going on except that your mother is losing her mind, and you are claiming to be in love with someone I don't even know."

"Sir," Scorpius tried again, but Ron held up a hand.

"You still aren't talking," he said, and the boy fell silent again. Well, this one seemed smarter than the last one at least.

"What was your plan here, Rose? How was this supposed to work out?" he asked, needing some reassurance that she had thought that far, that there had been an intention to tell him.

"I was hoping to have Scor over during break. I wanted you to get to see him as my friend first, and then after graduation, tell you the truth."

"So, your plan was to keep lying to your mother and I for another three months."

Rose looked at his shoes guiltily and then glanced at Scorpius. "Yes."

"Great plan," Ron said sarcastically. "I would like you to give me a minute with him." Ron used his thumb to motion towards Scorpius, who had the good sense to stay quiet that time.

"I don't …" Rose slowly trailed off, looking between her father and her boyfriend.

"I won't hurt him," Ron told her, "but we need to have a chat." He turned his head to look at Scorpius as he spoke, his mouth in a tense, hard line.

"It's okay," Scorpius reassured her with a smile as Rose bit her lip.

"Be nice, Dad," she scolded softly before she left them. She walked down the hall toward the back of the flat, and Ron tried not to think about where she was going or how comfortable she was here.

Ron turned his body to face the boy. He looked substantially more nervous without Rose there. His eyes were on the floor at Ron's feet, and he was fidgeting, shuffling his feet uncomfortably. It was good to see him like this. "How long have been interested in my daughter?"

"Uh …" It wasn't a question Scorpius had been expecting. He thought back to the Amortentia and the look they had shared over that cauldron. He had known then that he was attracted to her, but he was sure that wasn't what Ron wanted to know and, if he was going to be honest with the man, which he thought to be the best course of action, that moment wasn't quite right. There had been something there before that day which had been awoken in an undeniable way, but when did it start? He tried to find a moment, to define a time, and the one his brain landed on surprised even him. That very first Potions assignment Slughorn had given them. That soft smile and that crazy red hair had made his stomach flop, and he'd wanted Rose to be impressed. He'd done his best to be at the top of the class, and then he'd been an idiot eleven year old boy about it. He'd bested her, and then teased her. He had been incapable at that young age of understanding the effect this might have on a girl who was raised hearing that she was brilliant, the smartest girl of her age, by everyone who knew her. For all Scorpius knew, that very well could have been the first time in her life she had been second fiddle to anyone. "For a very long time. Longer than I … than I would tell her," he admitted.

Ron would have laughed if he hadn't been trying to be intimidating. He had been in love with Hermione for ages, it had felt like forever, before he had finally stopped being a fool. There was something about this connection, about this boy's honesty that made him human. Ron looked him up and down, taking in the features that were so very Malfoy, but softened somehow, whether by the Greengrass in him or the world he grew up in. It was impossible to be married to Hermione and not know Draco's story. Ron didn't like him. He'd never liked him, and that was no secret, but part of him, a part he would never admit to, could understand now as a man and a father what those years must have been like for Draco.

This boy standing in front of him was the result of an entirely different world. He was raised without the bias of his grandparents, something Ron knew had caused friction between Malfoy's wife and his mother, but more importantly than that, he didn't seem weighed down. After their fifth year, there had always been a heaviness on Draco Malfoy that Ron wouldn't wish on any child. Even after all this time, the man still carried it around with him. This boy didn't have that. He had been loved and cared for and raised, like Rose, in a home where he was adored and safe. Ron was glad for that, but it didn't necessarily make him a good person. Rowan Wood had been loved and adored and safe in his home, and it hadn't kept him from breaking Rose's heart.

Ron watched Scorpius for several long minutes after he had answered before he asked his next question. "Why we're so willing to keep her a secret from your family? Were you ashamed of her?"

"No," Scorpius said quickly, almost before Ron had finished speaking. "I swear, I wanted to tell you all at Christmas, but Rose …" Scorpius looked down the hall towards his bedroom. But, Rose was still broken. "She wasn't ready. We stopped seeing each other for a while because I didn't want it to be a secret anymore."

"Then how did you get back to this?" Ron asked waving his finger between the boy and the hallway his daughter had vanished down.

"Valentine's Day. I asked her to have a date with me, and I couldn't … I can't not be with her. I love her." His voice grew stronger as he spoke even though he was fairly sure his palms were sweating.

"Another boy told me he loved her," Ron answered, his lips turning down into a scowl.

"Rowan Wood is a bloody arsehole, and I am nothing like him. I'm not blind. I know that there isn't anything better in this world than that girl in there. The only reason I didn't punch him in his face when he showed up at Hogsmeade is because Rose wouldn't let me."

"When he what?" Ron may have shouted it a bit. He couldn't be certain.

"He showed up at Hogsmeade,” Scorpius shouted back, anger at that fucking prat boiling in his veins again. Rose always talked him down and made him act rational when the topic came up. Her father was turning red and clenching his fists a bit, and Scorpius rather thought that to be a more appropriate response to the bastard.

"Why did he 'how up at Hogsmeade.'" Ron was trying not to grind his teeth, but it was difficult.

"Said he was apologizing but really he just wanted her back. Can you believe that? After what he did to her?" Scorpius was getting worked up now. "So, I offered to punch him, but she wouldn't let me." He had been really upset by that. Rose had thought he was making it about him, but really Rowan just needed to be punched.

"That bloody … you should have punched him!"

"Are you serious?" They both turned and stared at Rose. She was standing in the doorway with her hands on her hips, glaring at them both. "You're talking about Rowan? I thought you were having a go at each other!"

"Well …" Ron said, not meeting her eye.

"Your dad, at least, thinks I should have punched him."

"You're not hitting him, Scorpius! Ever! He's out of my life. I'm fine. I have you. Stop!"

"That doesn't mean he doesn't deserve to be …"

Rose shouted in frustration, "Seriously?!"

Scorpius looked over at Ron for backup, but her father seemed to have realize this was a losing battle. He shook his head quickly. Scorpius frowned at the man and turned back to Rose. "Fine. Sorry I was talking about punching Rowan again."

"Can't you two just be normal. Dad you say 'If you do anything to her, I'll kill you.' and Scorpius you say, 'Yes, Mr. Weasley, sir,’and we all get on with our bloody lives. Merlin's bloody beard." She spun around, throwing her arms up as she talked, and headed back for the bedroom. With a loud slam the door shut behind her.

"If you do anything to hurt her after what that prat did, I'll bloody do worse than kill you," Ron told him seriously.

Scorpius nodded. "Yes, Mr. Weasley, sir."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading. I would love to hear what you think of this chapter! 
> 
>  
> 
> XOXO  
> Meg


	20. Chapter Nineteen

After her father had shown up at Scorpius' flat, Rose didn't have much of an option but to go home with him. She supposed she could have argued, but really that wouldn't have helped the situation at all. It seemed that her father was willing to give Scorpius a chance. This was so unexpected that she didn't want to ruin this turn of events by insisting that she be able to stay the night away from her mother. Instead, she had gone back to Scorpius' bedroom, well, stomped off really, and grabbed her dress from the funeral. It seemed like a lifetime ago that she was pulling it on, worried about how Scorpius would handle the day and happy that she would finally be able to hold him. Everything had still been such a secret then. Now, hours later, they were out. There was no point in secrecy when their parents knew. They were finally going to find out what it would be like to have a real relationship, and she was scared that they weren't ready.

She had returned to the living room to find Scorpius and her father waiting for her, both standing in the same spots. She'd walked over to Scorpius, laced her fingers in his, and kissed him softly on the lips. Her father had turned away towards the door at this, and she had taken the chance to deepen her kiss for a few short moments. "I'll miss you," she whispered.

"I'll miss you, too," he assured her.

"Let me know if I can do anything." 

"I will. Goodnight, Rose."

"Goodnight." She walked past her father and out the door of the flat. She was still annoyed with him after all. Honestly, the two of them were absolutely ridiculous. Somehow, in the moments that Rose had left them alone, they had found each other's mutual dislike for Rowan Wood and decided to start shouting about it like idiots.

A few moments later, quick, heavy footsteps had followed her, and Rose knew her father was behind her. They made their way into the stairwell, and, after a quick check for any Muggles, Apparated home.

Rose had smelled the cookies at once. "Mum's been baking."

"So were you," he reminded her gently. She shrugged as if it wasn't the same thing at all, even though it very much was exactly the same thing. She'd learned to bake from her mother, especially when the older witch was anxious. They walked through the back of their home and into the kitchen. Hugo was sitting at the counter with Albus. "Where's Mum?" Ron asked Hugo, and the boy pointed up to the ceiling.

"Her office," he replied. Ron nodded and left the room, headed towards the stairs.

"How's Scor?" Al asked, his face anxious.

"He's okay. He went back to the funeral. He'd just gotten back when Dad showed up. We didn't talk much actually."

"And, Uncle Ron didn't kill him?"

Rose rolled her eyes. "They ended up ranting at each other about Rowan."

Albus and Hugo both burst into laughter at this, and Rose threw a disgruntled expression their way before following her father. She would have to face her mother anyway. She might as well get it over with.

Rose stopped outside the door of her mother's office and tried to collect herself. She felt a rush of emotion flow through at just the thought of walking into the room. Her throat was suddenly dry, and her chest felt heavy. She could hear her parents talking softly, but she didn't want to know what they were saying. After taking a minute to collect herself, Rose pushed the door open and stepped inside. Her mother was sitting in her desk chair, and her father was leaning back against the desk next to her. They both looked up as Rose came through the door. Her mother's face was blotchy and red from crying.

Rose took a seat in the small armchair her mother kept in the room for reading. So many afternoons before this Rose had sat in that armchair working or reading while her mother did the same at her desk. She looked around the room, avoiding her parent's eyes. Nothing had changed. It was the same. For some reason, she felt like something should be different.

"Rose," her mother began softly, "I'm so sorry."

Rose stared down at her hands. Sorry. It didn't even cover what she needed. "I can't … I don't trust you anymore."

"Rose." Her father now, his voice stern.

"Ron." Her mother, her hand on his.

"Rose, I know I didn't tell you about this and it hurt you, but you hurt me, too." Rose clenched her eyes shut at those words from her mother and the truth she wanted to ignore. "You've been lying to us for months." Rose felt her eyes fill with tears. They trembled on the edge of her eyelids until she looked up at her mother, and then they began to fall.

"I know," she choked out past the lump in her throat.

"I wish you would have trusted us more. We love you so much, Rose. I can't even … there is nothing you could do that would change that." Her mother's voice was shaking as she tried to control it.

Rose wiped tears from her face as they fell quickly down her cheeks. "I know, but … I just …"

"I'm not going to lie to you, Rose," her father said. "I wouldn't have picked him for you. This isn't going to be easy for the two of you."

"I know."

"Do you know what his family believes? How he's been raised?"

"He's not been raised to believe any of that terrible stuff! You know that."

"That's not what I'm talking about. Do you know what Pureblood marriages are usually like? Do you know what it means that you … you …" Her father's face was turning pink.

"That you slept with him," her mum finished the sentence her dad couldn't.

"Oh."

"Oh?"

"I … he mentioned it, yeah." Rose blushed at the memory of Astoria walking in on them and of their conversation the next time she has seen him.

"Rose, it's always been taken very seriously in their family. I don't know if they will come out and say it, but his parents are going to expect …"

"Me to marry him," Rose finished.

"Is that what you want?" Hermione asked softly. Ron clenched her hand a little tighter.

"Scorpius doesn't believe in any of that," Rose said, avoiding the question.

"I find that unlikely," Hermione told her as gently as she could manage. "Scorpius loves his family very much. He is incredibly loyal to them and has always participated in their traditions before this."

"Well, he isn't going to force me to marry him. We're eighteen years old," Rose said, as if this was the end of the matter. 

"Draco was eighteen years old when he was betrothed to a woman he barely knew," Hermione reminded her. 

"They wouldn't do that to him."

"No, but they will expect him to, at least publically, live their traditions out. He is a Malfoy, and as much as the people in this room want to believe that doesn't mean anything, it does. They abide by a different set of rules than the rest of us."

"I don't … he won't."

"Rose, maybe you're right, but I've been listening to Draco talk about Scorpius his entire life. He and Astoria will expect the two of you to be seriously considering marriage, and probably soon."

"I don't even know if they are okay with me," Rose told her, feeling her stomach clenching wildly at the thought of being forced to marry Scorpius. 

"They will be," Hermione said, her voice confident.

"How do you know?"

"You're our daughter." She had expected her mother to answer, but it was her father.

Hermione looked at him with pursed lips and nodded. "Draco and Astoria love Scorpius, and would likely not care because of that, but even Lucius would be hard pressed to deny that marrying into our family comes with a certain appeal."

"What do you mean?" Rose asked, unable to determine what exactly it was that her parents were saying. 

"Your father and I …" Hermione gazed at Ron and went on. "We carry a lot of weight still after all these years. People listen to us. They respect us. I'm … I just got word that I'll be promoted to Head of the Department by the end of the year. I’m seriously considering Kingsley’s requests to let him endorse me as his replacement in a couple years. "

"Mum, that's … amazing."

"We have a considerable amount of status. It isn't something we usually talk about or that really affects your day to day, but it's something your mother decided twenty-five years ago that she was going to use to get ahead and make a difference," Ron told her.

"Depending on what you decide to do after you leave Hogwarts, you will have a similar pull, Rose. Perhaps not quite as influential, but people will listen to you when you speak. There will be those who will support you because of who you are and not because of what you believe."

"Oh," Rose flushed. It was in that moment that she remembered something terrible. She was still lying to her parents. She was still keeping something from them. "About that …"

"What?"

"Have you submitted applications?" her mother asked her. The excitement in her voice made the queasy feeling in Rose’s stomach all that much worse. 

"I've accepted a job." Rose picked at the skin on the sides of her thumbnail.

"Rose!"

"Wow! Where?"

"Uh … " She looked at her father's face. He had a wide grin spread across it. "With Uncle Harry." His face fell, morphing into confusion, then disappointment, and settling onto something Rose couldn't really identify. Her mother gripped the arm of her chair. Her knuckles turned white.

"What?" Her voice was low, nearly a whisper.

"I applied to the Auror Office. I interviewed with Uncle Harry and his team over Christmas."

"I'm going to throttle him, Hermione."

"You know he can't tell us," her mother said sadly. 

"She's just a kid."

"You were just a kid."

"And I left for a good reason!"

"I know that, Ronald."

"What were you thinking?" Her father suddenly turned on her, his voice growing louder.

For a single moment, the brilliant idea of being honest and telling them that it had been Scorpius who had suggested the job to her occurred to Rose. She quickly decided that her father would probably shift his anger from her Uncle to her boyfriend if she let that fact slip out. "I'm well suited for the job," she said instead. 

"Rose, you are still so young," her mother insisted.

"So? You've just told Dad he was the same age as me!" Rose couldn't believe her mother. A moment ago she had been arguing with her husband!

"It's different, your father had already …. We had been through so much." Hermione shook her head as she spoke.

"So, because I didn't help Uncle Harry kill Voldemort, I can't possibly be good enough to be an Auror?" What bollocks. Plenty of Aurors, most actually, had nothing to do with Voldemort or his defeat. It was ridiculous for them to insist that she wasn't capable because of this.

"It's not that."

"Of course not."

"They would be lucky to have you."

"We just know what that life is like, Rose."

"You don't think I can handle it?" That was it. They had sheltered her as well as they could her entire life. They only told her about the war when she asked. They kept long friendships from her. They left jobs they considered too risky. It was as if they had lived all of their adventures in those first years of their lives, and now they wanted to keep her from having any.

"Of course, you can."

"It's just … so …"

"What about Quidditch? Ginny has so many connections, and you're brilliant."

"I could put out some feelers in my department, dear. We could certainly use someone as talented as you." Hermione bit her lip, as if she was already selecting the perfect spot for Rose in her department. A desk job, no doubt.

"Are you both serious?" They stared at her. They were serious. "I'm not taking some hand out job! I want to do this. I applied for it. I interviewed for it. I worked my bloody arse off for it. I'm taking the job."

"Are you trying to kill us?" her father asked, his face still red.

"No, I'm just living my life!"

"You and Scorpius are both going to be so busy, Rose. Are you sure that's what you want?" Her mother seemed to be attempting to shift gears now.

"How do you know Scorpius is going to be busy?" Rose retorted, though she was sure she knew the answer.

"His father told me last September about his job offer."

"Of course, he did." Rose tried to keep the distaste out of her tone, but it was impossible.

"How does Scorpius feel about this job?"

"He supports me," Rose told them firmly. 

"Of course, he ruddy does," Ron fumed.

"Apparently, he's the only one," she snapped. 

"Astoria doesn't work," Hermione reminded her.

"And?"

"Well, what if you do marry Scorpius. Would you have children? Who would be taking care of them?"

"Mum! I'm not going to have any kids right now."

"Have you talked about it?"

"No, of course not, that's ridiculous." Rose rolled her eyes and huffed, exasperated.

"Really? Is it?" Hermione raised her brow as she spoke.

"Yes!" She threw her arms up and let them fall back to her thighs with a clap.

"Then why are you having sex with him?" Her mother held her gaze as she asked, refusing to look away.

"What?!" Rose gaped.

"Hermione, do we have to …" Ron's red faded to pink, and his voice lowered.

"Yes, we do," Hermione snapped. "She thinks it's appropriate to be having sex with this boy, and she doesn't seem to realize the repercussions of that choice."

"We're using the charm," Rose mumbled embarrassed. She couldn't believe they had come to this place. Her parents had known about Rowan, and they never had to do this. Why in the world was it necessary now?

"You should be on a potion made by a reliable potion master. That charm…" Hermione shook her head. "It's not a decent option."

"How about you shouldn't be having sex with him at all?" Ron grimaced at them both.

"Have you told Hannah that you are …"

"No!" Rose cut her mother off mid-thought. There was no way she going to see her best friend's mother about this.

"Well, you should be seeing a Healer, Rose. You clearly aren't being very adult about this, so I believe you can understand my reservations about it occurring."

"It's not … that's not …"

"You aren't talking about the future. You haven't talked about what would happen if you got pregnant. You don't seem to even be willing to face the fact that his family is going to want you to be married within the next year, if they have anything to say about it. You aren't taking a potion. You're not taking care of your body. You…" Hermione's cheeks were turning pink now, and her arms were moving through the air as she spoke, ticking off fingers.

"Okay! When you say it like that … of course it sounds terrible." Rose argued.

"How am I supposed to say it?"

"I love him," Rose said. It sounded lame even to her ears. Her father actually rolled his eyes.

"That's nice. Love isn't enough," Hermione said harshly.

"What do you mean?"

"Real relationships are about so much more than love and your hormones," her father interjected.

"You need to trust one another and communicate. You should have somewhat similar goals when it comes to the big things. You have to be willing to make sacrifices for him to get what he wants, and he should do the same for you. You should be his biggest supporter. If you're serious enough to be sleeping together, you should have some sort of plan for what your life together is going to be like, where it's going."

"Mum …"

"No," her father cut in. "What your mother is saying is nothing compared to what the Malfoy's will expect. Their questions will be far more invasive than ours."

"How is that possible?"

"Believe me," Hermione said, "it is."

"I don't … I don't know about any of those things," Rose told them desperately, trying to make them understand. "I just want to work and be with Scorpius. I want to get a flat with my friends and just be me for a while! I mean, I was just … last year at this time, I thought I was going to marry Rowan! I had an entirely different set of plans and priorities. I can't just jump into this thing like that!" Her parents were both silent, watching her. She buried her head in her hands and began to sob into them.

After several long minutes, she felt her mother's arms around her. "That is exactly why I'm asking you these questions," Hermione said softly near her ear. "You need to be honest with yourself and with Scorpius. I-I love Draco. I do. He's one of my dearest friends, and I'm sorry I didn't tell you that, but you are my daughter. What you need and want is always more important to me than what he needs and wants. You need to make sure that you aren't letting their expectations dictate your life."

Rose wiped at her cheeks, moving to sit up. She wrapped her arms around her mother, tears still falling down her face. She felt her mother's body shake against hers and knew that she was crying or trying not to. "I just don't want you to lose yourself," she whispered against Rose's hair.

"I won't," Rose promised. "I love you, Mum."

"I love you, too"

XXX

Four days later, Rose was standing in a small, empty bedroom with Alice.

"Are we really going to do this?" Alice asked her softly, and Rose smiled.

"Yeah, we are." She walked over to the window and peered out. It was nothing to owl home about, but it would do. The flat had two small bedrooms, but the girls were used to sharing anyway. They didn't mind that. The common rooms were small as well, but the rent was the cheapest they had found in an area their parents would actually let them live.

Alice had filled out and mailed in her Healer training application the afternoon she had run into James. Her heart and her head had battled the entire way through the process, but in the end, she decided that it was the right thing to do. It would be a terrible decision to not apply just because of James. This was the only career she had seen herself following, and she wasn't about to let their mistakes take something else away from her. She had fought herself on this also, the moving in with Rose thing. She and Rose had remained close after the break up with Al, but something had changed. It was something neither of them wanted to look to close at, or talk about, but it was there in the room with them whenever they were alone. She hoped that they would someday be able to put that behind them as well.

"We'll both fit in here," Rose said looking around. "Our books might not" - Alice grinned at this - "but, we will."

"Our books will definitely not be fitting in here," Alice agreed.

"Who needs books?!" Poppy asked with a broad smile as she walked into their room and spun into the center. "We're going to be of age and living alone, and it's going to be amazing!" Poppy had been applying to all of the wizarding publications she could think of. She wanted to write. She had an interview with The Quibbler and Witch Weekly but hadn't heard back from The Daily Prophet.

"What's Aaron doing?" Tamsyn asked as she followed Poppy into the bedroom.

"He's moving in with his brother. He'll have his own room." She winked at her friends and giggled, causing them all to laugh at her.

"So, Tamsyn is going to be alone a lot," Rose said.

"Because, you aren't going to be sleeping at Scorpius' every night?" Poppy teased her.

Rose felt her cheeks tinge pink. "Well … not every night." She couldn't think about Scorpius without thinking about the conversation she had had with her parents four nights ago. She loved him. That was undeniable, but she was scared of the way her mother seemed to think his family was going to react to them. She wasn't ready to get married, or be engaged, or even promise that she wanted to marry Scorpius. Right now, she saw them staying together. She saw them moving in together eventually and then maybe more, but when she thought about it, she was always seeing them down the road, years having passed. She knew that she and Scorpius needed to talk more about what their future looked like. She needed to do more than say she wasn't ready for more yet, and he needed to be honest about what he really wanted instead of just going along with what she said. It wasn't going to be fun.

At her parent's insistence, Rose had also scheduled an appointment with a Healer. She had gone already and taken her mother. When she had told the Healer that she had only been regularly having sex for about a month and a half her mum had visibly relieved tension. Apparently, it wasn't as bad as her mother had thought. Granted, she had started having sex with Scorpius at Christmas, but then they had taken a two-month break, so she wasn't going to count that. After many awkward questions and an examination, she had been given a clean bill of health and a potion to take instead of the charm she had been using.

She hadn't been able to stop thinking about children either since her talk with her parents. Did she want them? Rose knew that right now she definitely didn't want a baby. She wouldn't want a baby for the next three years for sure because she would be going through her Auror training. After that, if she and Scorpius were together, would she want to have a baby?

In their small bedroom, the one that Poppy was teasing her about never using, Alice was staring at the trim, her cheeks pink. Rose imagined she was probably thinking about Albus being at Scorpius' or something else to do with the boy. In reality, Alice had turned pink at the awful thoughts that had surfaced about James when Poppy had suggested that Rose wouldn't be staying in their room very often. She really needed to get that under control.

"Well, ladies," Tamsyn waved her hands around the room and towards the rest of the flat. "Are we in?" Tamsyn had told them she was pretty sure she wanted to go into something at the Ministry of Magic. She had started poking around in different departments while on break and looking for vacancies that might be a good place for her to start. Rose had no doubt that with her last name she would have a job within days of graduating, if not sooner. Several department heads would scoop her up hoping to earn favor with her father. Unfortunately for them, Rose doubted that would work.

"I'm so in," Poppy answered loudly, her smile broad across her face. Rose knew that her other option was going home to her Muggle parents in her Muggle neighborhood. It wasn't that Poppy didn't love her parents, but she loved magic more. There was no way she would go back there to live, unless she had to. Rose couldn't really imagine a life without magic. It had always been there, a part of everything, so she understood Poppy's desire not to have to hide it in her own home.

"Yes," Rose told them. "My parents are … I can't stay there." She shook her head and tried to smile, but it didn't reach her eyes. All three of her friends smiled sadly at her. She had told them over lunch two hours previously about the funeral, her mother's lies, her father's visit with Scorpius, and her own conversation with her parents. She wasn't really angry anymore, but she knew that she needed space. Now more than ever, she needed this plan to work out. She didn't want to think about the things her mother had questioned or the lies she had fed Rose over the years.

"Well you know I'm in," Tamsyn told them all happily. Her mother had been the one to find the place and walk through it with Tamsyn before she had told the rest of them about it. The three of them looked over at Alice. She was biting her lip and standing in front of the closet now, her arms crossed.

"What do you think, Alice?" Rose asked. She took the two steps towards her friend that were required to place a hand gently on her back. Alice looked over at Rose.

"Do you think we can do this?" she asked softly. In that moment, Alice was talking about so much more than their room arrangements, and Rose knew this.

"Yeah." Rose moved around her friend and pulled her in tightly. Alice stretched her arms around Rose's back and squeezed her. Rose felt her body shake slightly and knew that her friend was doing her best not to cry.

"Okay," Alice mumbled into Rose' shoulder. "I'm in."

XXX

James stood outside of his father's office in their home, his back leaned up against the wall next to the door.

"You know, you could just go in," his mother said softly as she moved around the corner.

"Yeah." He shrugged and shoved his hands in his pockets, trying to look like he hadn't been standing there for fifteen minutes debating whether or not to go inside and talk to his father.

"He won't bite." Ginny leaned back against the wall opposite him and crossed her arms.

"He might."

"He loves you. Whatever you have to say won't change that."

"You don't know."

"I do know. He might be disappointed, or angry, but he would never stop loving you, Jamie." They both stood there, James staring at her shoes, Ginny watching him with sad eyes. "Does this have to do with why your brother is staying at Ron's?"

"Uh …" James turned his head to the side as if he was hoping someone would break into the conversation. Albus wasn't there, and Lily had gone to a friend's house. He was alone with his parents. "Maybe."

Ginny closed the space between them. She took her son's cheeks in her hand and leaned up to kiss his forehead. "Go on. Tell him." She moved her hands to his shoulders and pushed him slightly towards the closed door. James held up a fist and looked back at her. She nodded, and he shook his head as he knocked. His shoulders fell under the weight of the conversation he was about to have.

"Come in," his father called from the other side of the door.

"I love you," his mother told him softly as he pushed it open. He tried to smile, but he grimaced instead. He stepped into the room and shut the door behind him.

"Hey, what's going on?" Harry asked from behind his desk. Parchment was spread across the surface, quills and ink scattered amongst the mess. Organization was definitely not one of his father's strongest qualities.

"Uh, well, I was hoping you might have some time to talk."

"Sure. Can't be worse than this rubbish. You'd think the wizarding world would come with less paperwork than the Muggle one." His father took off his glasses and waved at the chairs in front of his desk. He scratched at his nose and put the glasses back. James watched as Harry moved his hand to rub at his forehead, a habit that he carried from a time before James had been born when the lightning bolt scar there had burned.

James took a seat in front of his dad, shifting several times. He tried unsuccessfully to get comfortable. "I need to talk to you about Al."

"Okay." Harry leaned back in his chair and stared at him, waiting for him to continue.

"I did something pretty rubbish things the last couple of years, and they really … Albus ended up getting hurt over it." James forced himself to look into his father's eyes as he talked. There wasn't a man alive that he loved and respected more than the one standing in front of him. He knew that in ten lifetimes, he would never be able to do a fraction of the good his father had done by the time he was his age. It wasn't an easy act to follow. Harry had always told them that none of that mattered, but James felt it. He felt the stares, and the whispers, and the hope that the entire wizarding community placed on them. 

 

Albus reacted by doing well in school and being a decent kid. Lily had gone a bit more of their mother's way of not caring what anyone outside of her family thought of her and being a bit of a fireball. James, well, he was the oldest. He spent so long trying to pretend like he was above it all and that none of it mattered, that he had recently started to realize his life wasn't going to matter. He was so scared of not being good enough for Alice, that he had pushed her away from him. He'd been too selfish to just say no, or stay away from her. Instead, he had needed her to be the one to say enough was enough and leave him in the dust. She deserved so much better than him.

"Yeah, I wondered if that was the case." Harry held his hands together, lacing his fingers. He leaned forward in his chair. "Does this have anything to do with Alice?"

James felt his mouth drop open. He pulled it back up quickly, his heart racing as his mind searched for words. There were none.

"I thought so." Harry nodded and sat back, reclined again. "What happened."

"I …" James stroked his chin, feeling the stubble of a few days growth there. It felt rough against his hand. It distracted and calmed him. "Alice and I were, well, I don't know what we were, but it was something, and it was nothing."

"And, what happened?" His father didn't ask about the other girls he'd been with, even though James knew that he knew about them. How could he not with his siblings and cousins always giving him a hard time about them?

"We … I slept with her." James had to look down at his hand at this. He was too ashamed to keep his father's gaze. He had slept with her. It had been the most perfect moment in his life. They had gone to the Room of Requirement, and he had hardly been able to keep his hands off her long enough for her to pace the hallway to get the door to open. He hadn't touched another girl in nearly three months. He was pretty sure she hadn't realized, or maybe she had but hadn't said anything. He was crazy about her. She had invaded his every thought and made her way deep down into a place in him that he didn't know existed.

When she had grabbed his hand and led him into the room, he couldn't believe his eyes. It was his bedroom, and that Bulgaria game, the one that had been playing the first time he'd kissed her, was on the wall. He'd turned to say something, but she had smiled a devious little smile and shoved him down onto the bed. The backs of his knees hit first, and he had let his body fall, using his elbows to move back towards the pillows.

She had climbed onto the bed and moved to straddle him, pulling her shirt up over her head as she moved. James had moaned and reached out to grab her arse, one of his many favorite parts of her body, and pulled her down against his hips. She had rubbed against him, teasing the mound still constrained by his trousers. "Alice," he had whispered her name and pulled her down on top of him. He hadn't been able to to stop telling her how beautiful she was or that she was his.

After, when she was gone, and he was alone in his four poster in his real Hogwarts bedroom, he had remembered that she couldn't be his. Alice was perfection, and he was nothing near good enough for her. There was no way she could ever feel the way about him that he felt about her. There was no way she could settle for him. He was terrified of the way he had felt when he had slid inside of her for the first time, her body tensing around his. He wasn't sure what it was, but he knew that it was bad. He had been acting like he was in a relationship with Alice for months now, and that wasn't the truth. She had never given him any indication that she wanted anything more from him than these moments hidden away from the rest of the school. She knew that she was the only girl he ever went back to, and yet she seemed to be fine with him finding his way into closets with other girls, as long as he found his way back to her.

Part of him wished that she would tell him that she wanted him to be with just her or that these moments meant more to her than just the enjoyment of their bodies against one another, but mostly he was sure that he would destroy her if this ever happened. He wasn't capable of doing anything that boyfriends were supposed to do. He was awful at small talk. He wasn't romantic. He didn't like ties or stuffy restaurants. He hated the idea of everyone knowing their business. He couldn't imagine holding her hand down the hallway and watching people stare. He didn't want to know what people would say about her for being with him once he graduated and did nothing with his N.E.W.T.s so that he could play music. He was pretty sure he would be shit at budgeting or remembering anniversaries or being a decent person. He wouldn't clean, and he didn't know how to cook, and he was bloody awful at listening.

These realizations had driven him into a stupid and sad situation that had ended with him snogging Julia. When Alice had confronted him, he had been amazed, and glad, and terrified. She had finally realized that he was an arsehole, and she could do better. She had finally told him that it wasn't okay for him to be the way he was. Even so, she also told him that she loved him, an admission that James hadn't been willing to admit he had known for a long time before that. A feeling he wasn't able to admit he reciprocated for an even longer time after. He'd let her get angry, let her leave, thinking that it would be better this way. He would keep doing loose and casual, and she would find a bloke that could really be what she needed. He'd never expected that bloke to be Al.

"James." His father was looking at him, a peculiar look spread across his face.

"Sorry," he mumbled.

"I asked what happened after that."

"Oh, I … I snogged someone else, we weren't..." He shook his head and let out a long breath. "She never told me, and I never told her how we felt. I was so bloody stupid." His father looked sad when he was finally able to meet his eyes again. "She finally told me then that she loved me, and I just let her go, thought she was better off without me. I never imagined, not in a million years, but Al was apparently persistent."

"He never has known when to quit. Something I think he gets from me, unfortunately." His father pursed his lips and then continued, "You saw Alice at Christmas at the Burrow."

"Yeah. I couldn't handle them together. I couldn't. I know it was selfish, but I still love her, and I couldn't." His father nodded at him, not revealing any of his thoughts or feelings on this situation. "I told her anyone but him. I told her that I loved her. I know I'm a shit brother. I know that I destroyed Al, but she's still in love with me too, and I couldn't watch that."

"Did she tell you that she was still in love with you?"

"Yes," James said. He remembered her resisting, trying to persuade him not to ask, but he had needed to know.

"And, now?" his father asked.

"Now … I don't know."

"Is this why you got a job?"

"Yeah, I guess. Not all of it, but yeah."

"What are you going to do now?"

"I don't know. Wait to stop feeling this way about Alice. Keep going to work." He knew there was very little chance of the stop feeling this way about Alice part working. It had been almost three years since that summer day that she had sat next to him during that Bulgaria match. He had kissed her, and something inside of him had lit on fire and kept burning. He couldn't imagine a day when that fire would go out. He was sure he wouldn't want to know what that even felt like.

"What about your brother? Have you tried to talk to him?"

"I don't think he wants to talk to me." He was sure Albus didn't want to talk to him. If he wanted to talk, he would be home, not at Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione's.

"You need to try. He's your brother."

"What do I even say?" James had tried to figure out how that conversation would go in his head, but nothing ever sounded right. Nothing was good enough.

"Tell him the truth."

"I don't know, Dad. I fucked up."

"Yeah, you did, but you're his brother, and he loves you." James shook his head. He couldn't imagine Albus ever forgiving him. Alice was too perfect, and he had stolen her away from Albus without really even trying.

"Yeah, maybe," he replied, feeling defeated.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading. I would love to hear what you think of this chapter! 
> 
>  
> 
> XOXO  
> Meg


	21. Chapter Twenty

The public acknowledgment that Scorpius and Rose were, in fact, dating happened on Platform 9 ¾ on the fourteenth of April. Rose pushed her way across the barrier and found his eyes almost immediately. He was standing with his mother and father talking, waiting for her. She walked as quickly as she could without looking ridiculous and wrapped her arms around his neck as he lifted her from the ground. Their lips met in a kiss that was way more chaste than either of them really wanted it to be. Scorpius set her back down and moved his mouth to her ear.

"You smell so good," he teased, and she felt a blush rise in her cheeks.

"You too." She forced herself to take a step back from him and put some room between them as her family walked up behind her. Her eyes moved between Scorpius' father and her mother. They were smiling at each other.

"Hermione." Draco took a few steps towards her, and Rose watched as he hugged her lightly.

"Hello, Draco." Her mother looked happy to be able to do this, to acknowledge her friend for the first time. It was hard for Rose to watch because it made her angry at her mother and happy for her at the same time. She was still struggling with everything that had happened over break, and she didn't really know when things would go back to normal.

"Harry asked if I wanted to do lunch next week. Would you like to join us?"

"I would love to." Hermione squeezed his hand and moved back to stand by Ron.

"Scorpius." Her father dipped his head in acknowledgment, and Scorpius reached his hand toward the older wizard.

"Mr. Weasley." Rose watched her father shake her boyfriend's hand and held in a laugh. This all just seemed crazy to her still.

"Rose, it's so wonderful to see you again, dear." Astoria held her arms out to her and pulled her into a hug. "I know you're going to be dreadfully busy after school is over, but once you've passed your N.E.W.T.s, Draco and I would love to take you and Scorpius to dinner." Rose felt her stomach flip flop as she wondered what his mother could want to chat about at dinner. She tried to tell herself that it wasn't a big deal. They probably wanted to get to know her, but her parent's ideas about the Malfoy's stuck in her brain.

"That would be great," Rose told her, forcing a smile.

"We should get going, Rose." Scorpius took her hand, and she nodded.

"Love you," she told her parents, as she let him lead her to the train. "We could've stayed for a couple more minutes," she said once they were safely inside, and she was following him.

"No, we couldn't." He pulled her into an empty compartment, waved his wand to force the curtains over the window, and locked the door. He was on her in the next instant, his hands moving up her body. His fingers dug into the flesh of her hips, pulling her tighter against him. Rose moaned and moved to push the backs of his legs against the seat. He dropped down onto it, and she followed him, placing her knees on either side of his hips.

Scorpius moved his hands down below the hem of her skirt and reached beneath the fabric. Rose felt his fingers push aside the soft layer of cotton beneath it and then slide inside of her. "Fuck." She hissed against his mouth. She was already ready for him. She hadn't felt him touching her like this in over two weeks.

Scorpius moved his mouth to her ear as his thumb moved over the bundle of nerves that made her fall against his chest. He could hear her breathing heavily already. "We shouldn't do this," he whispered, but she could feel his smile against her skin.

In response, Rose moved her hands down his body and fumbled with his belt until it fell open. She unbuttoned his trousers as he chuckled, and she pulled her head back to glare at him. He leaned in to nibble at her bottom lip, and she forgot to be annoyed. Scorpius pulled his free hand down to his open trousers to pull his cock free of his pants. Rose whimpered as she felt his soft skin against her thigh.

She missed him. She missed the way her body reacted to his and the incredible way he felt against her. More than anything, she missed the feeling of utter closeness she got when he slid into her and made her heart constrict inside of her chest. Rose pulled her hips up, and Scorpius pulled his hand away from her center as she found his tip and teasingly slid down an inch and then back up.

She was hot and wet, and he wasn't bloody waiting any longer. Both of his hands found her hips, and he jerked up as he pushed them down. She shouted out at the sensation of him filling her, but he caught the noise with his mouth, and she tangled her fingers deep in his hair as she began to bounce. After feeling so many emotions, both good and bad, over the past two weeks it felt so right to get lost in each other and forget that they had things to figure out.

Scorpius' thumb slid back down her body to add slight swirls over that bundle of nerves to her bouncing, and she freed her lips from his mouth to hide her face in his shoulder. "Fuck," she whispered.

"I love you," he whispered back, before kissing her neck, biting at the skin there.

"I love you," she replied, her voice barely able to push the words out as her body began to tense. Scorpius's fingers dug into one hip as he continued his work.

"Red …" He moaned his pet name for her, the one she had despised for so long, and she lost all control. She felt her walls seize around him as pleasure pulsed through her, and she bit into his shoulder to keep from screaming. Scorpius bucked his hips up as she came, desperate for his own release which began a minute later. Rose fell against him, sated and barely able to think straight. Her knees were aching, and her blood was pounding in her ears.

"We are never going that long again," Scorpius told her. He was barely holding her onto him, as he leaned back against the seat.

"Never," she agreed.

XXX

After their return to Hogwarts, a sense of quiet panic seemed to take over the seventh years. Each of them was lost in the motions of the work they all had to do. Even the students that weren't taking extra courses were seen in the library or quietly huddled in a chair with a book most of the time. Several of the seventh year prefects had begun to complain about the "obnoxious" behaviour of the younger students. When Scorpius and Rose had taken precious time out of their studying schedules to investigate, they had found nothing out of the ordinary. Instead, most of the seventh years seemed to have lost their sense of humour and ability to look past June when their N.E.W.T.s would be long behind them.

Scorpius and Rose had started studying together again. The school knew they were dating. This was something they had never announced, but which had slowly spread as more and more people had seen them holding hands or Scorpius leaning in to kiss her softly below her ear before they parted to eat dinner. They both found their fellow students to be increasingly nosy as information spread. They were constantly dodging questions of varying appropriateness. Because of this, Scorpius had told Albus he was going back to studying in the Head's Library, and Rose had joined him.

She and Alice were doing better. They were both excited about the move at the end of the year, and Alice seemed to be in better sorts since their visit to the flat. Something about it had changed her and brought back a little bit of her old self, and Rose was glad. She and her friends took advantage of meal times to catch each other up on anything that was new, and then they went their separate ways. They all had study schedules and partners that they were practising with for N.E.W.T.s. Rose knew there was a light at the end of the tunnel, but it was growing harder and harder not to let the exhaustion of the work they were doing bring her down.

In a turn of events that they probably should have predicted, Professor Longbottom had called them into his office four days after they had returned to discuss their ‘relationship.’ Rose had blushed and barely said a word, while Scorpius had looked horrified and uncomfortable. Professor Longbottom didn't seem to know anything for sure, and they had denied anything ‘physical’ was happening that he should be concerned about, but they hadn't been able to properly snog for three days without one of them pulling back, shaking their head, and murmuring something about Professor Longbottom making it weird.

The hiatus hadn't lasted long, and within a week, Rose was spending most nights curled into Scorpius on his bed during the few hours they were both sleeping. The first night, she had been worried that the Headmaster would somehow know, and they would be expelled or forbidden from taking their N.E.W.T.s, but nothing seemed to have changed.

At the end of April, Alice received a letter with the post. Poppy had been talking animatedly about the job offer she had received from Witch Weekly the day before when the letter fell onto Alice's biscuit. None of them had really paid it much attention until Alice's hands had started shaking. Rose watched them as Alice pushed the letter into her bag and reached up to smooth her hair as her fingers trembled. Rose wanted to ask what it had been, but she held her tongue.

Things were better.

She didn't need to know.

Things were better.

XXX

Albus found her in the library near the end of April. He knew exactly where she studied every day, and he had been working up the courage for weeks to talk to her. He wanted to say so many things, but in reality, he imagined he would barely fumble through the first couple of times.

It still hurt to see her leaned over a book, her long hair pulled back, small strands falling onto her neck, and not be able to touch the skin exposed above her shoulder with his fingers as he kissed her cheek. It had been nearly four months since she had told him about James. He could look at her now without feeling the stab of anger and betrayal that had nestled in his chest for so long. It still hurt, but now it was loss and longing for something that had never been, the future he had wanted with her.

He took the final steps towards her table and placed a hand on the chair across from her. "Can I sit here?" he asked, and she looked up. Her mouth was open in a small circle, her eyebrows raised as she stared. She looked around, as if she was expecting him to be asking someone else, and then her eyes fell back on him.

"Yeah, sure," she rubbed at her shoulder as he took his seat.

He crossed his arms and cleared his throat as she stared. "I … uh … wanted to talk."

"Oh, yeah. Okay." She set her quill down on her notes, and he watched as ink dripped off the end onto her notes. She didn't seem to notice as she watched his face.

"I wanted to say … I'm sorry … for my part in it and for making you feel the way I did."

"No, Albus, no you shouldn't ever have to …"

"I know," he cut into her words. "I know that, but I know what I said hurt you, and I know now that when we got together … you weren't really ready, and I pushed harder that I should have."

"You didn't know. You had no idea. I should have …" She trailed off, and he nodded.

"Yeah. We should've done a lot of things differently, but there isn't really anything we can do about it now." He shrugged and stared at the books behind her.

"I'm sorry, also," Alice said after a long silence. "I know it's not enough, but I really never wanted you to be hurt. I wanted to … I wanted it to be you," she said this last part so softly that he barely heard her, but he did hear her. He clenched his hands, the tips of his fingers dug into his arms.

"Are you and …" Albus stopped talking and looked down at his lap, ashamed that he was even asking this.

"I ran into him at Christmas for a few minutes, and he sent me a letter. It was a couple weeks ago. I haven't answered." She was still talking in that low voice, and Albus was grateful because even her whispers about James sounded like drums in his head.

"Okay." He wanted to tell her that he was okay with it, that she should go ahead and answer him. He really wanted to, but he couldn't. A lump formed in his throat, and he couldn't push the words past it, so he cleared his throat again and pulled out his Defense notes.

They spent the rest of the afternoon silently working across the table from each other.

XXX

By the third week of May, Rose was losing her mind. She wasn't sleeping more than four or five hours a night, and the pile of work on their large table seemed to be growing by the hour. Every day, it seemed her professors were coming up with something new that needed to be mastered for their N.E.W.T.s. True to their name, the preparation for the exam was proving to be nastily exhausting. Rose wanted, no, needed a break, and she knew Scorpius did too. They had started snapping at each other like they had before any of this had started, and she hated it. She knew they were both tired, but that knowledge didn't make it hurt any less.

It was after one of these moments, when Rose had corrected Scorpius without his request for correction, and he had indeed snapped at her, that Rose decided they were done with work. "This isn't working," she sighed. "Were both so tense that we won't be able to cast anything come June, let alone pass our exams."

Scorpius let out a frustrated noise and stepped towards her. "I'm sorry." He leaned in and kissed her forehead. "I know you're trying to help."

"We need a break, Scor."

"I can't take a break. I have to get this right," he grumbled. He was still struggling with some of the harder self-transfigurations.

"Maybe some time away from it is just what you need."

"What do you have in mind?" The corner of his mouth curved up into a grin, and Rose laughed.

"Not that, but I was thinking we break the rules a bit."

"Break the rules? But, Mrs. Weasley, that is hardly appropriate." He looked at her in mock indignation while she rolled her eyes at him.

"Nothing too crazy, but something to blow off some steam."

"Go on." His arms snaked around her body, and he pulled her in. She inhaled the familiar and comforting scent that was so much him as her arms snaked up around his shoulders.

XXX

Three hours later their little library hideaway had been invaded by their friends. Alice, Poppy, Tamsyn, Albus, Darius, and Euan were all sitting around their fireplace, butterbeers in hand. Small bowls of snacks were spread around the carpet. This was very much against Headmaster Longbottom's whole not a hangout for their friends thing, but they honestly didn't care. They all needed to relax just as much as Rose and Scorpius, and this was a space they could do that.

In the grand scheme of things, Rose didn't really think having their friends over was really that terrible in the hierarchy of rules they had broken that year. Having sex at Hogwarts had to be on that list somewhere, and she was sure that the Headmaster would be much more disappointed in them for that then for having a couple butterbeers with their friends.

Rose was settled between Scorpius' legs as he leaned against her blue armchair. The past month of being able to touch him in public, kiss him softly in the hall, hold his hand as they walked, and smile stupidly at him in class had been incredible. She loved this moment more than she had ever thought she would. She could feel his warmth behind her as his thumb swirled lazy circles at her waist just under her shirt.

Poppy was lounging across from them on the green armchair while Euan leaned against it beneath her. Albus was sitting as far from Alice as he could. She was near Rose and Scorpius, and he was near the fire with Tamsyn and Darius. Things had gotten better between the ex-couple, but they were still merely cordial. Alice had rushed into Rose's room to tell Rose about Albus coming to sit with her in the library. She had cried again, but this time, she had been smiling. Rose hugged her again, and she had whispered silent thanks to the universe for whatever had made Albus decide to forgive Alice and start fixing the brokenness between them. Since that day, things had been tense, but they were both trying. They could be in the same space, and that seemed to be good enough for them for now.

"Do you guys remember the time Rose transfigured Scorpius' shoes into rats when we were at the Burrow to swim?" Poppy asked the room, and laughter erupted from everyone but Scorpius, who just scowled.

"That wasn't even that good," he insisted.

"You screamed like a little girl!" Rose pulled her elbow back to nudge him in the stomach, and he shoved it away playfully.

"I did not."

"You totally did mate," Albus agreed. "Then you put that portable swamp in her room."

Rose turned to glare at Scorpius. That had not been a pleasant surprise to wake up to the next morning.

Scorpius cleared his throat to cover a grin. "That was the weekend we snuck that Veritaserum, and Euan admitted his undying love for Poppy's arse," Euan smiled appreciatively at Poppy, who actually blushed.

"Are you blushing?!" Tamsyn asked loudly, and Poppy shook her head.

"No! Of course not!"

"What are you hiding, Poppy?" Alice asked with a grin, and Darius snorted. Everyone turned to look at him, and Euan glared.

"Don't you dare."

"It was two years ago, come on guys." Darius shook his head at Poppy and Euan.

"Oh, fine." Poppy rolled her eyes and avoided their stares. "I let Euan feel up my arse a bit that night. And … we snogged."

"What?!"

"Two years ago?!"

"You never told us!"

"What?!"

"And, this is why we never told any of you gits." Euan took a drink of his butterbeer.

"You little liars," Scorpius joked. "It's like we don't even know you at all."

"Oh, yeah, because you have room to talk about anyone keeping secrets," Euan retorted.

"If any of you tell Aaron, I'll slap you," Poppy promised, her finger pointing around the room at each of them in turn.

"Do you remember Rowan that night?" Darius asked. "What a fucking wanker."

Rose felt Scorpius harden behind her, and she leaned further back into him, letting the back of her head rest on his shoulder.

"Was that the night he wouldn't shut up about that stupid camp he got into? Merlin, I wanted to punch him," Albus told them all.

"Yeah. We kept trying to find out stuff about him and Rose, and he just kept talking about how incredible he is at Quidditch," Darius said.

"We should have known then." Euan shook his head at Rose, as if to apologise.

"Well, as delightful as Rowan is …" Alice said, with a tense edge to her voice. "Maybe we can talk about something else."

"Anything else," Tamsyn agreed.

"I took a job at Witch Weekly!" Poppy told the boys, and Rose relaxed, smiling at her friend. Poppy winked at her and turned to tell Euan about her column.

"Are you okay?" Alice asked Rose. Rose shrugged.

"I'm fine. Scorpius might not be." She turned her body so that she could see her boyfriend, and he mimicked her movement, pulling his shoulders up and letting them fall.

"Whatever."

"I don't think any of them realize just what he did …"

"No," Rose agreed. "No one told them. They all think he's an arse anyway. It's fine."

"What are you doing after graduation, Alice?" Scorpius asked, and she smiled broadly.

"I was accepted into the Healer Training program at St. Mungo's pending my N.E.W.T.s results."

"That will be great," he told her, and she nodded.

"I'm really looking forward to it."

XXX

The night before their N.E.W.T.s, Rose and Scorpius were in the same familiar place, their library, but she was done with studying. She was done with spells, and wrist movements, and potion ingredients, and runes, and numbers, and plants, and turning things into other things. They were going to pass, or they were not. An odd sense of calm had rolled over her that day, burying itself into her skin. She'd received a letter from her parents with a bit of her favourite chocolate. 

 

There isn't anything you could possibly do to make us prouder of you. Sending all the love in the world.

And they were right. She was already so much. She had already achieved so much. She already knew so much. She was going to be fine. They were going to be fine. She and Scorpius had lived and breathed this stuff for seven years. They knew it. It was part of them. Magic was a reflex to her, something that lived inside of her and simply needed her to allow it out.

So, that last night before their N.E.W.T.s began, she had decided to forget about studying, and ignore her books, and enjoy the night with her boyfriend, the boy she was in love with. The very last boy she had ever imagined could ever take her life after Rowan and put her back together.

When she had come back to their library after dinner, Scorpius had been buried in his Arithmancy notes. He had looked up at her with tired eyes. "Hey, Red."

Instead of joining him at the table after dinner, Rose had moved over to the rug in front of the fire. She hadn't said a word as he watched her, confused. She'd given him a silly grin and reached for the hem of her shirt. She pulled up on the cotton and felt it slide over her face. She'd pulled it free, and by the time her eyes found his again, he was looking much more awake.

When her fingers found the button of her trousers, he was grinning widely in appreciation. She pushed them down her legs and tossed them to the side. She tried to smile suggestively, but this made Scorpius groan, as he stood to walk towards her. "We should be studying." His voice was laced with reprimand, but his hands were already reaching for her.

"I'm done studying," she said. Her fingers reached behind her back to unhook her bra. The straps slid easily down her arms. She held it out from her body and dropped it to the floor. "But, if you think you need to continue, don't let me distract you." She couldn't help but laugh at the incredulous look he gave her as his finger finally grazed over her skin.

"If I ever pass up a chance to be distracted by you, you better take me St. Mungo's." He had dropped his face to hers, and their lips had met.

An hour later they were lying in his bed, a tangle of limbs under his sheets. Rose rolled onto her stomach to kiss his right shoulder softly, as his left arm moved beneath his head. Rose knew that she and Scorpius needed to talk more about what their future looked like. She needed to do more than say she wasn't ready for more yet, and he needed to be honest about what he really wanted instead of just going along with what she said, but she didn't really want to have the conversation. Preparing for N.E.W.T.s had made it easy to push it off and not think about the things her parents had brought up during the most awkward conversation of her life.

"Scor…" she started to speak, and he looked over at her. He was perfect. He'd always known exactly what to say, what she needed to hear in nearly every situation, but she felt like maybe there was another layer hiding beneath all of that, a layer that wanted things he wasn't asking for. "Are you happy?"

"Are you serious?" He chuckled, and his chest vibrated under her.

"I mean … okay, I know you're happy now, but you asked me to move in with you, and I said no."

"It's fine. You're going to stay over all the time anyway. It was just an idea." He shrugged off the topic, but she wasn't deterred.

"But, you wanted me to say yes?"

"Of course, I did."

"What would your parents think about it? If I had said yes?" Her mother seemed convinced that they Malfoy's would be very traditional. Traditional didn't mean shacking up with your girlfriend.

"Why does it matter?"

"Because they are your parents, and you love them." If their Easter break had taught Rose anything, it was that her parents were human, but that didn't make her love them any less. She was sure Scorpius felt the same way about his.

"They don't make my decisions for me."

"But, you want them to be happy? Don't you want them to support you?"

"They will support me."

"My mum … she seems to think that your parents are going to want us to …" She pulled back from him, sliding her legs underneath her to sit up. She pulled the sheet up with her, folded under her arms.

"Get married?" he asked, and she nodded. "Can you even say it? Do you even think about it?"

"I don't know. I just think about this right now." She motioned between the two of them. "I think about Auror training, and I don't see marriage fitting into the next few years."

"Okay." His voice was tense, and she felt that force hiding behind his words, that part of him that he kept at bay. "After that?"

"I just don't really think about it."

"Fine."

"What?" she pushed.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"It seems like you aren't saying something. It seems like there is a lot you don't say,” she told him softly. 

"You don't think about it. It's fine." It was clear that it was not actually fine at all.

"Scorpius …"

"It doesn't matter."

"It matters to me. I want you to be happy."

"I am happy. I told you that I was happy. I want to be with you, and I am." 

"But,"

"Rose, just drop it," he snapped and moved to get out of bed.

"No," she told him. Her voice shook, but she knew they needed this. He needed to tell her the truth. He pulled on pants from his dresser, his back to her. "I need to know what you want. The real truth, not what you think I want to hear."

Scorpius turned, and for the first time in a long time, she saw his anger clear and directed right at her. "What do you want me to say? That I love what my parents have? That I want that? That I don't need you to want to marry me today, but it would be nice if it were something you were thinking about happening at some point? That it sucks that I'm left paying for mistakes that someone else made over and over again? That I hate that every decision you make about me isn't really about me, it's about him? He is there in every hesitation, pulling you away from me, and I hate it. I feel like I'm constantly fighting with Rowan Fucking Wood for you, and that is shit. That is total and utter shit, Rose, and I fucking hate it."

"He's not …"

"He is." Scorpius tried to control his voice, but it was still hard. She had broken something, some filter that he had been keeping on his words, his actions, and to some extent his own thoughts, and he had no idea how to put it back. "I'm not him. I've never done anything to lead you to believe I would ever be like him."

"Well, neither did he until he was sitting on my couch telling me he'd done it."

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Scorpius clenched his fists. "You cannot honestly think that I would ever …"

"No, no, I don't, Scorpius, I don't. That isn't what I meant."

"They why are you always trying to protect yourself from me? I love you. I don't give a shit about any other girls. You're it. This is the shit you don't want to hear, because it will scare the crap out of you, but this is the endgame for me. I do think about next year, and ten years from now, and fifty years from now, and you are there. Every time. I want you to be mine for all of it. I want to marry you, and I do want to have a family with you one day."

"We're only eighteen years old!"

"I don't care, Rose. Your parents fell in love when they were eighteen. Mine got married at nineteen. It's not that fucking crazy. Last year you wanted this with him. Why can't you even see yourself wanting it with me at some point in the future?"

"You …" she stuttered, tears streaming down her face as she tried to find the words. "I thought I loved him, Scor. I … compared to what I feel about you … nothing. He was nothing. What could you do to me? What if you left?"

Scorpius crossed the room to the bed and was in front of her in moments. He pushed his hands into her hair and crashed his lips onto hers, tasting her tears. "I'm not going anywhere. I'm never going anywhere."

"Promise me," she sobbed, desperate. 

"Rose, I promise. I'm never leaving. We can figure everything else out as we go." He didn't care that he'd just been inside of her or that he had just started getting dressed. Rose let the sheet fall away and pulled him down with her. N.E.W.T.s was the furthest thing from his mind as he moved over her. He was going to have her over and over until she forced him to stop so they could both get some sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading. I would love to hear what you think of this chapter! 
> 
>  
> 
> XOXO  
> Meg


	22. Chapter 22

The seventh year students stood silently at the edge of the lake at dusk.

They were all in their robes.

Each one of them sporting their house colors.

They faced the Headmaster.

Some sombre, some excited.

To either side and behind them stood a wall of people.

Parents, siblings, loved ones, friends, fellow students.

The Headmaster raised his wand to the sky.

The seventh years followed suit.

Sparks of red, green, yellow, and blue shot above their heads.

The Headmaster turned to the water, and the students dropped their wands, but the sparks remained, dancing above them, lighting the night sky.

From across the lake, boats slowly floated towards them.

Not a soul spoke as they waited in reverence.

Once the shore was littered with wooden boats, ready to be boarded, the Head Boy and Head Girl stepped forward.

They each reached up for the clasp on their robes for the last time.

His was lined in green.

Hers was lined in blue.

The robes fell to the ground behind them, and they no longer belonged to this place.

The girl and boy stepped forward again, each taking a seat in one of the wooden boats.

Once they had settled, the two boats began to glide again, moving slowly back across the lake and toward the train that would take them into their futures and away from Hogwarts for the last time.

XXX

The morning that Rose's N.E.W.T. results arrived she was sitting at the table with a mug in her hands. Her hair was pulled back in a messy bun, and her mother was talking to her about what she could do with the books that wouldn't possibly fit in her and Alice's room.

Rose knew that her mother was still talking. She saw her mouth moving, but behind her, out of the corner of her eyes, she saw something moving towards the house. It was an owl, but it wasn't one of theirs. It wasn't an owl that she recognised.

And, then she knew.

It was a Hogwarts Owl.

"Mum," she said loudly. "Mum, look."

She stood, and her mother turned round at the window.

"Oh, my … Rose!" her mother squealed. "Ron! Ron, come down here!" her mother was shouting, and Rose was bouncing on her toes.

"Mum, it's them. It has to be."

"Ronald!" her mother shouted as the bird came near enough the window that Rose could see the letter tied to its leg.

"Dad!" Rose screamed loudly and rushed to the window. By the time she had pushed it open, her father was breathing heavily in the kitchen with them. Hugo followed him in a moment later. Rose's hands were shaking so badly that she had to let her brother untie the letter. He handed it to her with a smile and wished her good luck.

She looked down at her name staring back at her and turned the letter over to find the Hogwarts seal.

"Open it!" her father encouraged.

"Oh, Ron, let her be!" her mother said, but her voice was shaking as bad as Rose's fingers.

She slid one digit under the seal and pulled the wax up swiftly. The creamy parchment slid out into her hand, and she unfolded the letter.

Rose screamed.

She screamed loudly.

She threw her arms into the air, jumping around in a circle as she screamed.

Her mother started screaming too. She grabbed the parchment from Rose and screamed again.

They fell into each other's arms and laughed as her father took the results, and then Hugo, and then they were a mess of hugs and laughter and screaming.

Her father was shouting, "Seven Outstandings," with a mixture of awe and disbelief.

XXX

Rose knocked on the door of her childhood home for the first time in her life. It was odd to be a guest to this place where she had grown up and lived for so long, but it was also right. This would always be her home, but now her small bedroom that she shared with Alice, and Scorpius' much larger one, where she spent several nights each week, seemed to be where she belonged now.

Scorpius stood beside her as she knocked, one hand on the small of her back. She could tell he was nervous. He had changed his jumper three times before they had left his apartment, and she had only arrived fifteen minutes before they had needed to leave. He was now smoothing his hand through his hair and shifting his weight from one foot to the other. He cleared his throat as the door swung open, and her mother stood there before them, smiling broadly.

"What in the world are you knocking for?" she asked the pair of them as she stepped forward to hug Rose. Rose wrapped her arms around her mother tightly and hugged her back.

"Mrs. Weasley," Scorpius told her politely, but she snorted and wrapped her arms around him too.

"Hello, dear." Hermione let him go, and he looked at Rose with wide eyes. She shrugged and laughed at him as they followed her mother into the house. She certainly wasn't going to complain about her parents being too nice to Scorpius.

"We just finished cooking," Hermione told them as she led them to the dining room where her father was setting the table for four.

"Hey, Dad." Rose moved over to her father who put one arm around her and kissed her forehead.

"Evening, Rosie."

Scorpius followed behind her and stuck his hand out. "Good evening, sir."

Ron looked at Rose and then back at her boyfriend. He put his hand out and shook with him. "Good to see you, Scorpius."

"Good to see you, too. Thank you for having us, both of you." Scorpius looked from Ron to Hermione as he spoke, and she waved him off before leaving the room.

"Your mother has been a mess all day. She seems to think we need to impress this git." Ron nodded towards Scorpius, but his tone made it clear that he was joking. Rose relaxed. Joking was good. Joking meant her Dad was calm and happy.

"There really is no need to go to any …"

"Oh, calm down, son." Ron clapped him on the back and laughed. "We did the whole scare the life out of you bit already. You're in. Now we just want to get to know you."

Rose reached over to grab her boyfriend's hand and squeezed it softly as Scorpius looked at her uneasily. She was sure he was trying to figure out if there was some kind of trick behind her father's words. Rose didn't think there was.

"Come on." She pulled his hand towards the table and took a seat next to him.

Ron moved to grab wine from the side table and poured them each a glass. Just as he was taking his seat, food began to float into the dining room followed by Hermione, her wand extended towards the floating dishes. She took her seat next to Ron and leaned in to grab her glass and take a drink of her wine.

As they dished out their food, Hermione asked, "So, Scorpius, how are things going with Garrick?"

"Good. It's kind of like being at Hogwarts still. I'm still learning so much and reading a ton."

"He's a brilliant man. I was quite impressed when your father told me he had offered you the position."

Rose knew she was grinning like a fool, but she was so proud of Scorpius. He had only been working with Ollivander for a few weeks, and he still had the same giddiness about him when he told her about his day that he had the first day. It was adorable really. Her training hadn't started yet, and she was a tiny bit jealous of how incredible his job was, but mostly excited for him.

"Harry has you lot starting this week?" Ron asked Rose.

She nodded. "Yeah, Monday."

"You think you're ready?"

"She's going to be amazing," Scorpius said. "When we were moving Al into the apartment, Harry told me they didn't even debate her. She left the interview, and it was just known that they were going to let her in."

"He was probably exaggerating," Rose said and took a drink of her own wine as her cheeks turned pink.

"No, he wasn't. You're perfect for that position. That's why I told you to app…"

"Yeah, okay," Rose laughed uneasily as she cut him off and shook her head slightly.

"Why you what?" Ron asked slowly, his eyes narrowing. It wasn't menacing necessarily, but more like he was searching them for some truth that was just escaping him.

"You suggested it?" Hermione asked, watching him closely also. "The Auror department?"

"You didn't tell them?" Scorpius asked her, confused.

"No, I didn't."

"I'm sorry," Scorpius told her parent's quickly. "I didn't realise that …"

"It's fine, Scorpius. Ron and I have our own opinions about the Auror office, and they don't align with Rose's. We still support her."

Her father snorted and huffed, but kept quiet otherwise.

"It's fine," Rose repeated her mother's words as she put her hand on his leg. "I made the choice to accept the job."

They ate in silence for a few long minutes. Rose kept her hand on Scorpius' leg, and he gripped it in his, holding on to her tightly.

"So, who are you taking to the match next weekend, Rose?" her father finally asked, and somehow this shift in conversation cleared the air enough that they could all breathe again. Her parents had given her and Scorpius four tickets to a Wimbourne match as a graduation gift.

"We're going to take Albus and Alice."

"Are they back together, then?" he asked.

"Er …" Rose glanced over at Scorpius. As far as she knew, no one knew about the situation with James other than them. "No, I don't think they will be, but they are starting to be friends again.

"Well, Alice will have her hands full at St. Mungo's, it sounds like. Harry's been telling me that James practically lives there these days." Scorpius started to cough on his potatoes.

Rose shot him a glare. "She's really enjoying it so far. I know she's looking forward to going to the match, though."

"We all are," Scorpius added. "Thank you again for the tickets."

"You both earned them," Hermione assured him.

XXX

Twenty minutes later, Rose was helping her mother put the final dishes away while Ron showed Scorpius his office. It was really the shed out back where Hermione didn't care if messed with all of the joke shop items that were still in development.

"I guess you like the Cannons," Scorpius said with a laugh as the bright orange posters and memorabilia overwhelmed him.

"Just a bit, yeah," Ron told him. He approached the wall, and Scorpius suddenly realised what the layer of orange was set behind.

"Holy …"

"Yeah," Ron sighed happily.

Scorpius walked the last few steps to examine the handle of one of the dozen broomsticks on display. "Is this an Oakshaft 79?" He made no effort to hide the awe in his voice. This broom was deserving of awe and wonder. It was a relic from a time when broomaking was an art akin to wandmaking.

"That it is," Ron ran his hand just above the wood, but didn't touch it. "Just found it last spring."

"There are only two verified in the world."

"Three now. She's my crown jewel."

"I can't believe you just have this sitting out in your shed."

"Harry and I put more charms on this place than Gringott's," Ron laughed loudly and walked down to the next broom. "This is my Cleansweep One. It was my first collector broom. Hermione bought it for me for our first wedding anniversary."

"It's beautiful. That is quite the present. "

"Hermione doesn't really get brooms or Quidditch, but she loves me, so she made an effort."

"You seem happy, both of you."

"We are," Ron agreed. He took a few more steps down the line. "This is the Comet 140."

"First Broom with a breaking charm."

"You know your brooms," Ron said approvingly. He stared at the broom for a minute in silence, before he spoke again. "We weren't always so happy, you know. Rose was a miserable baby. She screamed nearly all the time, and I really didn't think we were going to make it. Hermione wanted her mother, so she went and stayed with them. At first, I stayed here, but then I realized I was being an idiot, and I went to stay with her and Rose at Hermione's parent's house."

"So, no one was here?" Scorpius asked, confused. 

"No," Ron laughed loudly. "We went from this beautiful home that we had just bought while Hermione was pregnant to living in my in-laws guest room. I had them connected to the Floo Network so that I could get to work. We weren't sleeping, and Hermione and I were arguing nearly all the time about what to do with Rose."

"What was wrong with her?"

Ron snorted. "She's a stubborn arse of a girl. That's what's wrong with her. Her grandfather finally came in one night, took her, put her in his car, and drove off with her. Came back twenty minutes later with her asleep in the car seat." Ron shook his head as if he still had no idea how such a thing had been possible. "I thought Hermione and I weren't going to make it through that, but we did. We moved back home and apparently thought it was a good idea to have another one."

"Was Hugo as bad?"

"No. It was Rose again. She was jealous and in love with him at the same time. She would shout at us if we weren't taking care of him right."

"That sounds like Rose." Scorpius nodded and laughed also.

"Then when Hugo left for Hogwarts, we had to figure out how to be just the two of us again." Ron stepped down the line, and Scorpius followed, his eyes on the Firebolt. "This one was Harry's. Youngest seeker in a century." Ron actually picked that one up and handed it to Scorpius who felt the weight of it with his hands. "The way she looks at you, you aren't going anywhere, kid."

"I hope not, sir."

"I don't really like your father," Ron told him with a grimace. 

"I know that,” Scorpius admitted. 

"But, I'll try. To be decent to him I mean."

"Thanks."

"Do you play chess?" Ron asked brightly, taking back the Firebolt. 

Scorpius smiled at the memories of Albus and Rose telling him that he needed to practice his chess skills. "I love chess."

XXX

Rose woke up the next morning in Scorpius' bed. She stretched her body against his silky sheets and moaned as her muscles groaned in response. She smiled sloppily as her mind wandered over the night before, particularly her watching Scorpius and her father playing chess. It had perfection, more than perfection actually. It had been everything. Something had happened out in her father's shed. She was sure of it.

When the two of them had come back in to play chess they had been laughing and talking about brooms. Scorpius had kissed her softly, and her father hadn't even cared. In that moment, she had finally been able to see him next to her in that tent at her Gran's on Christmas, his arm around her shoulder as he laughed with Al. He would lean in and kiss her softly below her ear, and no one would bat an eye because he belonged there.

But, he wasn't in bed. Her arm had hit his cold pillow and her mouth fell down in a frown. She hated it when he got out of bed without her. She loved those first few drowsy minutes when she slid into his chest, and he hummed in appreciation as she wrapped her arm around his stomach.

Rose sat up instead to find the room empty as she had been expecting. She moved over to his dresser and pulled a pair of his pyjama bottoms over her knickers, and moved out of his room and down the hall. The door to Al's room was shut, but she could hear the shower running. She padded down the hall to the kitchen and found Scorpius there making breakfast. "You left me," she said.

He turned to face her and grinned. "It wasn't easy." His arms wrapped around her, and she let her lips fall against his. "Do you have any idea how sexy it is to wake up to you in your t-shirt and knickers?" He kissed his way down her neck, and she snaked her hands up his back.

"Maybe I would believe you if I hadn't …"

"Hello," Scorpius cut her off, suddenly staring behind her. Rose spun out of his arms and stared as well.

"Hey, Rose." Rose watched the pink rise in Evie Benson's cheeks as she spoke.

"Hi."

"Uh, well, see you guys." Evie was holding a bag and a pair of shoes in her hands. She was clearly wearing last night's dress, and Rose could hear the shower down the hall still running.

"See you, Evie," Scorpius said jovially behind Rose's back.

"See you," Rose forced out and then watched Evie's brown hair, frizzy and tangled from … Rose didn't want to know what ... as the former Slytherin walked to the door as quickly as possible. As soon as the door clicked closed, Rose turned and glared at Scorpius. "Why didn't you tell me he was seeing someone."

"Errr," Scorpius moved back to the stove to oversee the pans that were doing just fine on their own.

"What?"

"I … think there might be some roommate code …"

"What?" she asked again. 

"I don't know." Scorpius pulled dishes down from the cupboard, and she could tell he was avoiding her eyes.

"Tell me."

"Rose …"

"Tell me. How long has she been coming over?" Rose demanded. 

"Evie? Errr … last night?"

"Why do you say it like that?"

Scorpius glanced desperately down the hallway where the water had stopped. "There are … he … has a lot of guests."

"Guests?" Rose asked flatly, her hands landing on her hips.

"Guests," Scorpius repeated. He shrugged as if he was trying to pass this off as nothing out of the ordinary.

"And he and his … guests …"

"Look, it's not like I go knocking on the door asking what is going on."

"Oh, Scor. He's clearly not dealing well with Alice still."

"Maybe, but, it's been awhile, and I mean, he could just be being normal …"

"Oh, really?"

"I mean, I don't, no one but you, but it's not like we abstain, Rose." She glared at him, and he held up his hands in surrender. "I just don't think it's anything to get worked up about."

"So, if we weren't together, is this what you would be doing? Bringing home bimbos and shagging a new one every night?"

"It's not every night, and they aren't bimbos. That was Evie! We've known her since we were eleven."

"That's probably worse!"

"So … she clearly didn't get out before Rose woke up." Rose spun to face Al. He was grinning. That smug little shit was grinning.

"Sorry mate," Scorpius said. He waved his wand at the stove again and food flew to the three plates sitting on the counter.

"I just think maybe you aren't …"

"Save it, Rose," Al told her. He grabbed his plate from Scorpius and moved towards the table. "I'm a big boy, and you and this git weren't exactly together when you started shagging him so forgive me if I don't take you seriously."

"That wasn't the same thing at all!" Rose insisted as she fell into the seat across from him.

Al rolled his eyes and looked at Scorpius who shook his head as he placed his place in front of him. "I'm not getting involved."

"How long after this started did you lot start getting each other off?"

"Al," Scorpius said with a warning tone.

Albus ignored him and stared at Rose. "Well?"

"It was nearly a month after that arse first kissed me," Rose's face was pink with embarrassment and anger.

"Seriously?" Al snorted. "Hm, maybe I am being a bit of a manwhore then. You two really were shit at the whole just sleeping together thing." Rose opened her mouth to respond, and Al waved her off. "This doesn't have anything to do with Alice. She and I are fine. Leave me alone."

Rose huffed and pushed her egg around her plate with her fork. She wasn't convinced at all that this wasn't about Alice, but it was clear that Albus didn't want her opinion.

XXX

"Scorpius!" Venetia pulled him into her, kissing his cheeks as he hugged her. "And, you brought your beautiful lady." She moved towards Rose and kissed her as well.

"It's so good to meet you, Venetia," Rose told her.

"He is a good boy," the old woman said in a tone that made it very clear that the topic was not up for debate.

"Yes, I think so," Rose grabbed his hand in hers, and Venetia watched them with a wide smile.

"I told your mother." She wiggled her finger at him. "Young love. Beautiful. Come, come, eat." She waved as she turned to lead them back to the small room where they found his parents waiting for them.

"You did not say she was so beautiful, Draco," Venetia chided him, and Scorpius' father just laughed.

"I apologise, Venetia."

"I forgive you. Enjoy your dinner." She smiled once more at Rose and left the room.

Scorpius pulled softly on Rose's hand and led her to a chair that he pulled out for her and then pushed in as she sat. She blushed softly at the gesture which somehow seemed more significant with his parents there. "Thank you," she told him. He leaned down and kissed her cheek, and she was sure that she must be positively red.

"I'm so glad you could join us for dinner," Astoria told her as Scorpius moved to sit across from her at the table.

"She's hardly talked about anything else for the last week," Draco teased.

"Well, you are important to my son, and therefore important to me." Astoria was speaking to Rose, but she stared at her husband. It seemed that they were having some sort of conversation that Rose wasn't privy too.

"Stop it," Scorpius told them in an even tone. Apparently, he was also privy to whatever was going on.

"Did you get settled into your new flat?" This time, Astoria looked right at Rose as she spoke. Draco took a drink from his champagne flute, and Scorpius was still looking at his father with an odd expression in his eyes.

"Yes. Scorpius helped me unpack today actually." Well, he had come over to help her unpack, but all three of her roommates had been at work, so they may have gotten distracted. She saw Scorpius' lips twitch into a smile at her words. She bit her own lip as she remembered the feel of him inside her as he held her against her bedroom door.

"Well, that was nice of you, Scorpius. How are you and Albus adjusting to living together?" his father asked.

"It's going fine. Al and I shared a dorm for six years. We can certainly manage in my flat, especially now that mum has finished furnishing it."

"Well, I would have had it done for Christmas if I had realised you would be hosting." Rose took a long pull from her champagne at that. She wasn't sure how the woman could make one word hold so much emotion, but somehow when she said "hosting" Rose felt properly shamed all over again about the moment Astoria had come into Scorpius' room to find them under the sheets, his head between her legs.

"I wouldn't have been hosting" - Scorpius put the same inflection on the word as his mother, and Rose wanted to disappear - "if I hadn't been so upset about our last dinner here."

As Rose wondered idly if this is what dinner with the Malfoy's would always be like, a bowl of soup appeared in front of her. Scorpius shook his head at his own bowl at if it had offended him.

"Rose." Draco lifted his spoon from the table as he spoke. "You started your Auror training?"

"Yes, last week."

"That will be for three years then?"

"Yes. There is an exam at the end of each year. I'll have to pass them to continue in the program."

Astoria made a small humming noise. "Yes, mother?" Scorpius asked.

"I didn't say anything, love," she insisted.

"Would you like to?" he asked.

"No," she said with a smile.

"Your parents must be very proud," Draco told Rose.

"Oh, yes," Rose said. Proud wasn't exactly the word Rose would use to describe the tenuous acceptance her parents had fallen into about her career choice, but she didn’t see a reason to get into that here, especially when she was sure that Mr. Malfoy had probably already heard all about it from her mother.

"It does seem a bit dangerous," Astoria said. "Aren't they worried about you?"

"Erm, they … well …"

"Rose's father was an Auror and her Uncle. I'm sure they know how capable she is," Scorpius insisted even though he knew perfectly well how her parents felt about her choice.

"I wasn't insinuating that she isn't capable. I'm just concerned for my future grandchildren," Astoria said plainly as if this was the most normal dinner conversation in the world.

"Merlin, Mother," Scorpius rolled his eyes.

"I'm sorry, but what?" Rose said softly.

"We are …" Draco trailed off, and his wife stared at him, hard, until he began to speak again. "Concerned that with you being in such an esteemed, but, yes, dangerous, position it may be risky."

"You're both unbelievable," Scorpius told them.

"We're practical, darling." Astoria reached for his hand, and he pulled it back.

"We're not even engaged, mother."

"Yes, well, we had just sort of assumed that would be coming soon." She smiled sweetly at him, and he frowned. 

"No, it's not coming soon."

"I thought we talked about this, Scorpius." Astoria looked at him, confusion clear on her face.

"What do you mean?"

"I told you at Christmas to end it or make it official."

"And, we did. We're together. Everyone knows. We're taking things one step at a time," Scorpius told her. 

"That's lovely dear, but that isn't what I meant at all."

"What do you mean one step at a time?" his father asked, brown furrowed.

"I assumed we would be planning a wedding for next spring, maybe the summer if Rose preferred that?" Astoria glanced over at Rose as if she was supposed to weigh in on the season of a wedding she hadn't known she was planning.

Rose sat stone still, her spoon halfway between her bowl and her mouth, watching Scorpius look between his mother and father as they spoke. Suddenly his eyes met hers. "I had no idea, I promise," he said quickly, and she tried to smile. She knew it came out as more of a grimace.

"So, are you not planning to get married?" Draco asked.

Rose's heart was thudding so loudly in her ears that she was amazed that no one had said anything about it.

"We haven't really discussed it," Scorpius lied.

"Scorpius, the two of you are … well … engaging in activities that would imply that you should be getting married, very soon." Astoria's voice grew quiet as she spoke, which didn't seem necessary considering the four of them were alone in the room.

Rose imagined Scorpius' face that night before N.E.W.T.s. The intense way he had stared into her eyes as he told her that he saw them together fifty years from now. That he wanted her. That he wanted kids with her. He was ready for all of this, everything his parents wanted, and yet here he was, fighting with them, denying it to them because he knew that she was still hesitant. That she was still on the fence. That she didn't think about marrying him.

But, that wasn't really true anymore.

She had hardly thought about anything else since that conversation with her parents.

She thought about it every time she woke up, and his arms weren't around her.

She had thought about it the night before as she had fallen asleep alone in her apartment and wanted him.

She had wondered what it would be like to have a child with him a thousand times now.

She had tried to imagine him as a father, and her heart nearly pounded out of her chest at the image that brought to mind. Scorpius lying in bed beside her, a baby, their baby between them. She didn't even have to wonder too much what he would be like. He would be incredible. She just knew.

She had tried to imagine not being with him at some point in the future, and it had been impossible.

She had tried to think of anyone or anything that could possibly make her not want him, and there was nothing.

She was utterly in love with him and the thought of her father holding her arm as she walked towards him in white dress robes made her … feel something … something beautiful and warm and happy.

"We want to get married," she said loudly. "Both of us want that." She stared right at him as he gaped at her and then shook his head.

"No, Rose, don't just …"

"I'm not. We both want it." She smiled brightly at him, biting her lip in excitement at her realization. She watched a stupid, silly grin spread across his lips as he also realized what she was saying.

"But, not yet?" he asked.

"Just not yet," she agreed.

"And children?" he asked her softly as if there was no one in the room, as if his parents weren't both staring at them, as if there wasn't a table between them.

"We want that, too.” 

"So, just how long are you going to wait?" Draco asked.

"As long as she wants," Scorpius told him, his eyes not leaving hers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I hope you loved it! If you stuck through until the end please leave a review and let me know what you think. All my love to you for being a beautiful loyal creature and reading all of this crazy story. 
> 
> Also, Amortentia has a sequel in the works, Out of the Dark, which I hope to begin posting in January of 2017, so keep an eye out for that. There is still more story to tell in this universe. 
> 
> If you are now a shipper of all things Scorose, which I desperately hope that you are, you can find my Scorose One Shots under one series posted as That Which We Call a Rose on my Author Profile. 
> 
> Thank you again, you beautiful soul you! 
> 
> XOXO  
> Meg


End file.
